{"id":70179,"date":"2025-10-12T17:00:06","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T17:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/70179\/"},"modified":"2025-10-12T17:00:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T17:00:06","slug":"small-agrivoltaic-project-big-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/70179\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Agrivoltaic Project, Big Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

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US farmers are facing the quadruple whammy of tariffs, inflation, worker shortages, and climate impacts, leading to a spike in the number of bankruptcies this year. New developments in agricultural science can\u2019t overcome all of those challenges at once, but a new agrivoltaic project in Virginia aims to demonstrate that the new energy crop of the 21st century \u2014 solar energy, that is \u2014 can help provide a lifeline to farmers and local communities in these challenging times.<\/p>\n

Solar Panels And The New Energy Crop Of The 21st Century<\/p>\n

Energy crops have been a familiar feature across the modern global agriculture industry for generations, with corn and soybeans currently dominating the production of ethanol and biodiesel here in the US. Although a carbon-recycling sustainability case can be made for biofuels, these traditional, land-based crops are industrial operations requiring herbicides, pesticides, heavy machinery, and transportation to and from refineries before they reach the energy consumer.<\/p>\n

The UK consulting firm Cerulogy is among the energy analysts to run the numbers on biofuels and carbon emissions, and their numbers say that biofuels are not a particularly effective alternative to fossil fuels. \u201cGlobal biofuels production emits 16% more CO2 than the fossil fuels it replaces,\u201d explains the organization Transportation & Environment, citing a new report commissioned from Cerulogy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe same land could feed 1.3 billion people, while using just 3% of that land for solar panels<\/a> would produce the same amount of energy,\u201d T&E adds.<\/p>\n

Indeed. Unlike traditional energy crops that involve long periods between harvest cycles, photovoltaic panels capture solar energy from the sun and convert it to electricity with every passing moment of daylight, delivering it directly to energy consumers or to energy storage systems<\/a> as the case may be.<\/p>\n

Small Agrivoltaic Project, Big Impact<\/p>\n

The global solar industry could chip away further at Cerulogy\u2019s land use estimate of 3%, by applying agrivoltaic principles that enable farmers to continue using the land in between solar panels.<\/p>\n

Agrivoltaics is a new science, emerging on the heels of the initial solar boom of the early 2000s. Back then, the cost of solar equipment was relatively high and developers cut their costs by planting solar panels on beds of low-maintenance sand and gravel, at best seeding the land with monocrops of clover or short grasses. By 2018, though, researchers were compiling ample evidence that the shade from solar panels conserves soil moisture while enabling other shade-tolerant plants and grasses to thrive, opening the door to a powerful new tool in the farmland conservation toolkit. Since then, reducing wildfire risk<\/a> has also emerged as a follow-on benefit.<\/p>\n

To date, most agrivoltaic operations in the US focus on livestock grazing<\/a>, which also helps reduce maintenance costs by preventing vegetation from overgrowing the panels. Habitat restoration<\/a> to boost pollinator populations<\/a> is also beginning to emerge.<\/p>\n

Growing crops for human consumption is a next-level challenge, and that\u2019s what the Piedmont Environmental Council<\/a> in Virginia has set out to tackle. The organization\u2019s pilot project at Roundabout Meadows in Aldie, Virginia, surfaced briefly on the CleanTechnica radar last month, when it earned the title \u201cPlan of the Year\u201d in the 2025 North American Agrivoltaics Awards program. Although the project weighs in at the practically minuscule size of half an acre, NAAA described the forthcoming project as a \u201cdeeply strategic installation<\/a> that could have statewide ripple effects,\u201d with the aim of launching the agrivoltaic field beyond fields for grazing and pollinator habitats, and into the human food crop area.<\/p>\n

Agrivoltaics In Action<\/p>\n

Activity at the PEC site was well underway by the time NAAA tapped the project for Plan of the Year, with the solar panels up and running along with an onsite energy storage system. Last week, PEC kindly emailed additional details to CleanTechnica in advance of a formal launch to be held on October 17.<\/p>\n

The energy storage component may surprise certain high-ranking public officials who doubt that such systems exist<\/a>, but there it is. \u201cThe Roundabout Meadows project will include a smart panel, which enables the farm to measure energy usage, as well as on-site battery storage,\u201d PEC notes. The battery will enable onsite equipment to continue running on solar energy after the sun goes down, including well pumps, refrigerators, and heated greenhouses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIntended as a demonstration site and proof-of-concept for multiple applications, we\u2019ve designed the 42-panel solar panel installation with four rows of vegetables directly in the ground to mimic a traditional farm setup,\u201d PEC explains, \u201cAnd four in raised beds to make the project equally relevant to smaller applications, including urban settings, rooftops, and other built environments.\u201d Wineries, breweries, and parking lots are also on PEC\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n

PEC also draws attention to the broader context that supports agrivoltaic solutions for farmers and their communities. \u201cPEC\u2019s agrivoltaics pilot project is also part of a bigger story about agricultural and food system security and clean energy generation, battery storage, and net metering, all in a state facing unprecedented energy demands from data center development.\u201d<\/p>\n

15 Agrivoltaic Projects To Rule Them All<\/p>\n

If all goes according to plan (and so far, it has), the Roundabout Meadows project will demonstrate that 42 solar panels can co-exist with eight rows of vegetables on a relatively small plot of land. Installed by the firm Tiger Solar, the solar panels are situated in three rows of 14 panels each, placed 12.5 feet apart to allow more sunlight onto the crops. The panels are also mounted on high racks measuring six feet tall, further easing access to the crop rows.<\/p>\n

The plantings include lettuces and other vegetables known to thrive in partial shade, along with sun-loving staples like tomatoes and potatoes. The diverse selection will enable the researchers to collect data leading to recommendations for optimal plantings.<\/p>\n

In a detailed article about the project last year, PEC described how the agrivoltaic movement has grown into a sprawling knowledge base. To launch the new project, PEC has drawn upon its experience engaging with other projects, solar industry stakeholders, and conservation groups. The new project also taps into Virginia Tech\u2019s agrivoltaic stakeholder group, and it has earned technical assistance from agrivoltaic researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, through a Clean Energy to Communities<\/a> grant. Last year, NREL also selected PEC to join a new cohort of 15 organizations conducting next-generation work in the agrivoltaic field.<\/p>\n

PEC is already lined up to make a significant contribution to the effort. The project is designed to generate more energy than the farm currently needs, opening up the potential to replace its current stock of fuel-burning tools and equipment with electric ones.<\/p>\n

Photo: A small but mighty agrivoltaic project in Virginia aims to demonstrate that US farmers can successfully grow rows of food between rows of solar panels<\/a> (courtesy of PEC).<\/p>\n

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