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If you’ve ever owned a backyard trampoline –or jumped on someone else’s– you might have noticed that the grass underneath it is longer and lusher than the grass in the rest of the yard. It’s not just that that grass isn’t getting mowed… in fact, when it does get mowed, you can see the weird effect even better! Instead there's something else –something shadier– going on here.

LEARN MORE

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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:

• Agrivoltaics: the process of agricultural production (such as growing crops and/or raising livestock) underneath or adjacent to solar panels

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CREDITS

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Kate Yoshida | Script Writer, Narrator and Director Arcadi Garcia i Rius | Storyboard Artist Sarah Berman | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation Nathaniel Schroeder | Music

MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC https://neptunestudios.info

OUR STAFF

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Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes Henry Reich • Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida

OTHER CREDITS

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Trampoline Grass - by Tony G (@shatteredmedia on Tiktok). Used with permission. https://www.tiktok.com/@shatteredmedia/video/7111771274984082731

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REFERENCES

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Barron-Gafford, G.A., Pavao-Zuckerman, M.A., Minor, R.L. et al. (2019) Agrivoltaics provide mutual benefits across the food–energy–water nexus in drylands. Nat Sustain 2, 848–855. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0364-5

Barron-Gafford, G.A., Murphy, P., Salazar, A. et al. (2025) Agrivoltaics as a climate-smart and resilient solution for midday depression in photosynthesis in dryland regions. npj Sustain. Agric. 3, 32. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44264-025-00073-1

Graham, M., Othman, N. F., & Sæbø, A. (2013) Partial shading by solar panels delays bloom, increases floral production, and improves fruit quality in tomato. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 92, 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2013.02.003

Hassanpour A.E., Selker J.S., Higgins C.W. (2018) Remarkable agrivoltaic influence on soil moisture, micrometeorology and water-use efficiency. PLoS ONE 13(11): e0203256. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203256

Marrou, H., Guilioni, L., Dufour, L., Dupraz, C., Wery, J. (2013) Microclimate under agrivoltaic systems: Is crop growth rate affected in the partial shade of solar panels?. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 177, 117–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2013.04.012

Sá, J. C., & Silva, A. (2023). The agrivoltaic potential of Canada. Sustainability, 15(4), 3228. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043228

Sollazzo, L., Mangherini, G., Diolaiti, V., & Vincenzi, D. (2025). A Comprehensive Review of Agrivoltaics: Multifaceted Developments and the Potential of Luminescent Solar Concentrators and Semi-Transparent Photovoltaics. Sustainability, 17(5), 2206. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17052206

Weselek, A., Bauerle, A., Hartung, J. et al.(2021) Agrivoltaic system impacts on microclimate and yield of different crops within an organic crop rotation in a temperate climate. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 41, 59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-021-00714-y

Widmer, J, Christ, B., Grenz, J., Norgrove, L. (2024) Agrivoltaics, A Promising New Tool for Electricity and Food Production: A Systematic Review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 192, 114277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114277