At the University of Arizona's Biosphere 2 agrivoltaics farm, chiltepin peppers grown in the shade of solar panels produced three times as much fruit as the plants standing in open sun, and jalapenos beneath the same rows needed 65 percent less water before pickers could bring in the harvest

At the University of Arizona's Biosphere 2 agrivoltaics farm, chiltepin peppers grown in the shade of solar panels produced three times as much fruit as the plants standing in open sun, and jalapenos beneath the same rows needed 65 percent less water before pickers could bring in the harvest

Partial shade beneath solar panels doubled pepper yields and slashed water use, challenging a century of agricultural dogma about what crops actually need to thrive.