By Blake Jackson
As renewable energy expansion continues across the United States, researchers and industry leaders are increasingly focused on how clean energy projects can coexist with agriculture and natural ecosystems.
Agrivoltaics, a practice that combines solar energy production with agricultural use on the same land, is emerging as one possible solution.
Scott Williams, Education Manager for the Wisconsin Energy Institute and instructor in Sustainable Systems Engineering, says the concept centers on making farmland more productive.
“Put simply, it’s using a plot of land for both solar power generation and agriculture,” Williams explains. “The goal is to get the land to do double-duty.”
The declining cost of solar technology has made solar installations more practical in regions such as the Midwest, where flat agricultural land is often attractive for development.
However, this growth has also raised concerns about farmland preservation and rural economies. Agrivoltaics aims to reduce those conflicts by allowing energy production and farming activities to operate together.
At University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Kegonsa Research Campus, researchers are studying how agrivoltaic systems perform under Midwestern conditions.
The project, led by the university’s Office of Sustainability and supported by Alliant Energy, includes testing forage crops and shade-tolerant berries grown alongside solar panels.
Researchers are also monitoring soil quality, water movement, wildlife activity, carbon storage, and pollinator habitats. “The overall goal,” Williams said, “is to understand how agrivoltaics can be designed to benefit the surrounding agricultural and ecological systems not just produce electricity.”
One increasingly popular model involves grazing sheep within solar arrays to manage vegetation while maintaining agricultural production.
Another approach, known as ecovoltaics, incorporates native grasses and wildflowers around solar sites to support pollinators, reduce runoff, and improve soil health.
“The beauty of agrivoltaics,” Williams explains, “is that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Systems can vary and be combined depending on local conditions.”
Williams believes long-term research and interdisciplinary collaboration will be essential for scaling agrivoltaics and training future sustainable energy leaders.
Photo Credit: istock-simplycreativephotography
Categories: Wisconsin, Education, Energy