Looks like the world is going crazy over solar energy! After cars, buildings, bikes and toilets, it’s the farming that is adopting the sun. An Austrian-based company, Open Energy has developed a solar-powered tractor that would be on sale by 2010. Intended mainly for vegetable and fruit cultivation, the tractor can manage only slow paced jobs like weeding and watering.

Fixed with 40% more efficient 26sq m solar panels which persistently adjust their positions to trap more sunlight compared to fixed ones, they tend to store more power. This enables the tractor to run continuously for up to a day and a half at speed of 0.5kph, sufficient for carrying out jobs like mechanical weeding. However, it can be run at a higher speed too, but that would bring down the running time. According to Open energy, the tractor can occasionally be used to perform heavy jobs like ploughing and it would be perfect to make it GPS-guided.

While the Austrian market is looking forwards to its launch in 2010, Asian and US companies seem interested in the product. I believe the tractor would be a safe boon for the world’s agriculture in an eco-view.

Source: FWI