Cantaloupe melons growing between rows of solar panels. By Anna Richmond-Mueller, NCAT Energy Analyst B Just south of Portland, Oregon, researchers with Oregon State University (OSU) are putting agrisolar principles to the test at the Oregon Agrivoltaic Research Facility. The site is located at the Noth Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) and serves as […]
The aim of this study was to assess the effects via carbon isotopic composition in grains, as well as the grain yield of winter wheat in an agrivoltaic system in Southwest Germany.
Vines growing among solar arrays. Photo: NCAT By Brian Naughton, Co-Founder Circle Two, LLC. This article was first published in the NM Healthy Soil blog. The sun provides abundant energy here in New Mexico, something I’ve appreciated professionally and personally since moving here ten years ago to work on renewable energy. The sun can also […]
This study discusses the development of a wood-based PV vertical racking design, created to help overcome cost barriers present with commercially available vertical racks. This design is constructed with domestic renewable and sustainable materials, buildable by the average farmer, has a 25-year lifetime that aligns with most PV warranties, and follows Canadian building codes to weather high wind speeds and heavy snow loads.
New Mexico has tremendous potential in solar energy production thanks to its consistently sunny weather and high levels of solar irradiance. Presently, the state’s solar market holds a value of $3.2 billion with significant room for expansion. As stakeholders express increasing interest, they are discovering a trend observed in several other states: some of the most favorable locations for extensive solar developments are within agricultural production fields. The concept of integrating photovoltaic (PV) panels into these fields, known as agrivoltaics, has gathered attention and investment.
As we strive for climate change solutions, competition over land for food production or clean energy production is an emerging challenge to address this challenge, demonstrations of systems that produce energy and food on the same land are needed to usher in solution-scale adoption of these practices. A new research project at the University of […]
Crops growing under solar panels at the Hawai’i Agriculture Research Center. By Anna Richmond-Mueller, NCAT Energy Analyst In Mililani, Hawai’i, a one-acre agrivoltaic research and development site run by the Hawai’i Agriculture Research Center (HARC) is working to grow fruits and vegetables for their community, while also discovering which crops grow best locally in an […]
PRESS RELEASE Colorado Department of Agriculture October 3, 2023 Solar Sampler attendees at Jack’s Solar Garden. To help demonstrate one of the many ways agriculture can contribute to addressing the effects of climate change, Colorado is investing $500,000 in projects that help advance the use of agrivoltaics in the state. Agrivoltaics is the practice of co-locating […]
Sheep grazing at Brookfield agrisolar site. Photo: AgriSolar Clearinghouse By Alyssa Andrew and Greg Plotkin As solar development around the nation continues to accelerate, opportunities for farmers to graze livestock on solar sites also continue to grow. This is often considered a win-win scenario as it allows for land to continue in active agriculture while […]
A variety of chile pepper plants grow under solar panels on the roof of Colorado State University Spur campus. Written for the AgriSolar Clearinghouse by Allison Jackson, Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center Sitting atop the brand-new Hydro Building at Colorado State University’s Spur campus is one of the world’s first agrivoltaic rooftops. The 46-kW array is a […]
