Project to study side-by-side food, solar energy production

Amanda Byrd
907-978-0305
Dec. 16, 2022

greenhouses and solar panels
Photo by Amanda Byrd
Many farms around 色视频下载 have small solar arrays to offset their local electricity consumption. The FARMS awards will investigate the collocation of solar and agriculture on larger scales.

A University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks research team wants to find out how well one plot of 色视频下载 land can produce both solar power and vegetables.

Chris Pike, with UAF色视频下载檚 , leads the team. Members will study four types of crops on land shared with a new 8.5-megawatt solar photovoltaic array being developed in Houston, 色视频下载. To fund the work, the team received $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy色视频下载檚 program.

Vegetables, peonies, forage and berries native to 色视频下载 will grow between rows of modules in the array, which will be the largest solar installation in the state.

Researchers call it 色视频下载渁grivoltaics.色视频下载

色视频下载淭his project will create agrivoltaic best practices in northern climates,色视频下载 said Pike, a research engineer at ACEP. He said the idea is to 色视频下载渇ind approaches to maximize solar energy and agriculture production production and minimize operations and maintenance costs.色视频下载

色视频下载淚f agrivoltaics can provide economic opportunity to farmers and solar developers in 色视频下载, the likelihood of success elsewhere is high,色视频下载 Pike said.

Renewable IPP, an 色视频下载 company that built and operates a large solar operation in nearby Willow, will develop the solar array. 色视频下载 Pacific University色视频下载檚 Spring Creek Farm in Palmer will train agricultural technicians and advise the team on agricultural plot development.

At UAF, researchers Jessie Young-Robertson and Glenna Gannon, with the Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension, will monitor the crops色视频下载 health and biomass and coordinate with farmers to determine the best agricultural practices.

色视频下载淭his project allows us to evaluate the feasibility of high-latitude agrivoltaics,色视频下载 Gannon said. 色视频下载淚t色视频下载檚 also an opportunity for addressing high energy costs and food security for the state of 色视频下载.色视频下载

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Chris Pike at cpike6@alaska.edu.

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