Leroy J. Walston, Heidi Hartmann, Laura Fox, Michael Ricketts, Ben Campbell, and Indraneel Bhandari, Argonne National Laboratory This section highlights several types of agrivoltaic options related to ecosystem services that include siting considerations, ecological impacts of dual-use sites, construction methods and habitat restoration strategies. One type focuses on ecologically focused siting, construction, and vegetation management […]
American Solar Grazing Association 1. Introduction to Solar Grazing Solar grazing is a relatively new and growing industry that uses livestock—most commonly sheep—to graze solar sites as a form of vegetation management. Within these systems, graziers form a contract with site owners to be compensated a fee for grazing to promote a shared purpose of […]
MNL is an organization with a mission to “Heal the Earth,” through ecological restoration and native species landscaping. As the organization progressed, they established projects on solar sites, including conservation grazing and prioritizing native seeds and plants that provide pollinator benefits. Jake Janski, who’s been with MNL for over 20 years, is one of the […]
In 2012, Caleb Scott was working with solar developers to help seed and build sites. As he got more involved in the industry, his job expanded to help properly maintain these sites. Scott began mowing the solar sites but quickly realized it was a challenging task. Every site was different, with varying degrees of ground […]
American Solar Grazing Association Julie Bishop’s involvement in the solar grazing industry began with a snowball effect after receiving a herding dog. Once she acquired a herding dog for her grazing operation, she trained it in herding at her home, which progressed to owning ewes and lambs and operating a hobby sheep farm. Then, in […]
5,000 Sheep to Graze Two Solar Sites in Oregon “Avangrid, member of the Iberdrola Group, has partnered with a fifth-generation Oregon rancher to graze sheep at two solar farms in Oregon and Washington and launched likely the largest ‘solar grazing’ operation in the region. Solar grazing is a vegetation management method used at solar energy […]
For several years, NCAT has been highlighting the benefits of agrivoltaics through the AgriSolar Clearinghouse project. And just as there are significant benefits to agrivoltaics, there are also barriers that keep more sites from being developed across the country, such as extra costs for site design, reduced energy production per acre, regulatory issues, and community […]
By Dan Salas and Ben Campbell, University of Illinois Chicago Sustainable Landscapes Program Building out the renewable energy capacity needed to make a clean energy transition is no easy task. Siting projects, engineering designs, addressing community interests, and obtaining the resources for construction requires thoughtful planning. Increasingly, one design aspect is gaining more attention: plants. […]
By Dan Salas, University of Illinois Chicago, Energy Resources Center – Sustainable Landscapes Program The iconic monarch butterfly faces numerous threats in its migration across North America. Habitat loss, invasive species, pesticide use effects, disease, drought, and changing temperatures have collectively squeezed a vice of stressors on monarch butterfly populations. At the same time, the […]
Savion’s Utility-Scale Agrisolar Project in Ohio Now Operational “Savion, a Shell Group portfolio company, announced that the Madison Fields Solar Project (MFSP) has achieved commercial operation. The 180 MW solar power plant is located in Madison County, Ohio, and is one of the first operating utility-scale solar sites to intentionally integrate soybeans, alfalfa and forage crop […]
