agrivoltaics

Agrivoltaics -- solar PV paired with livestock or crops -- make for rich marketing materials. Good luck finding a developer brochure free of grazing sheep.

But the project segment is far more than a kitschy niche.

While the concept is well-understood in Europe, the U.S. is still finding its way with agrivoltaics. Early iterations lacked scalability due to added costs and irrational system requirements established by policymakers.

Lucy Bullock-Sieger wants you to forget everything you think you know about agrivoltaics.

As the vice president of strategy for Boston-based developer Lightstar Renewables, Bullock-Sieger is on a mission to prove that agrivoltaics is ready for primetime with a new approach.

In addition to establishing a cost-neutral agrivoltaics development process, Lightstar has experienced improved community relations, expedited permits, and a mitigant to the interconnection nightmare.

Bullock-Sieger joined Episode 46 of the Factor This! podcast to break down the rosy future for agrivoltaics. 

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Watch every new episode of the Factor This! podcast on the Renewable Energy World YouTube channel, and make sure to subscribe while you're there! 

Registration is LIVE for GridTECH Connect Forum - California. Join us in Newport Beach June 24-26 for the interconnection event. We're bringing together utilities, developers, and regulators to take on one of the biggest challenges facing the energy transition. Click here to save 10% on your ticket.  Join partners from PG&E, CAISO,  ENGIE, AES, and more.

https://youtu.be/qib5hFOgMHM

Matt and Sean talk about farming techniques that incorporate AI, solar panels, and a whole lot of science. Agrivoltaics is a promising technique … with some nuance.

Watch the Undecided with Matt Ferrell episode, “How Solar Panels Are Changing Agriculture - Agrivoltaics Revisited” https://youtu.be/ww-_U7_oQbY?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7uzySCXq8VXhodHB5B5OiQ

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Aaron Steele is an Iowa farmer and entrepreneur, owner of Goats On The Go®, Sheep on the Go®, and host of the Farm Dog podcast. In this episode, Aaron describes why he started his business and his podcast, and discusses what he sees for the future of grazing on solar farms. 

Show notes and links at https://www.savannainstitute.org/perennialaf

Farm Dog podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/farm-dog/id1573646688 

Aaron Steele is an Iowa farmer and entrepreneur, owner of Goats On The Go®, Sheep on the Go®, and host of the Farm Dog podcast. In this episode, Aaron describes why he started his business and his podcast, and discusses what he sees for the future of grazing on solar farms. 

Show notes and links at https://www.savannainstitute.org/perennialaf

Farm Dog podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/farm-dog/id1573646688 

This episode features a conversation between Stacie Peterson, NCAT’s Energy Program Director and Manager of the AgriSolar Clearinghouse, and Pete Berthelsen, Executive Director of The Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund and President of Conservation Blueprint. 

It is the fourth in a series of AgriSolar Clearinghouse podcasts that are being featured on ATTRA’S Voices from the Field podcast.  

Pete and Stacie discuss the benefits of pollinator habitat at solar energy sites, pollinator habitat design, seed mixes, pollinator health and quality, and what anyone can do to help pollinators in their own backyard.  

AgriSolar Clearinghouse Resources: 

·         AgriSolar Clearinghouse 

·         Solar Pollinator Habitat 

·         Solar Apiaries 

·         Fact Sheet: Making the Case for Solar Beekeeping 

Other Resources: 

·         Conservation Blueprint 

·         The Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund 

Contact Stacie Peterson at stacieb@ncat.org.  

Please complete a brief survey to let us know your thoughts about the content of this podcast.  

You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.  

Learn about NCAT’s other innovative sustainable agriculture programs.  

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Solar Energy Technologies Office Award Number DE-EE000937. Legal Disclaimer: The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.  

Dr. Paul Mathewson, Science Program Director for Clean Wisconsin, joined us to discuss some current initiatives related to solar energy and address several misconceptions about this alternative energy source. We also learned about agrivoltaics, where several crops can be farmed together while utilizing land space for solar farms.

Jack’s Solar Garden is the largest agrivoltaics research site for vegetable production thus far in the United States!  Alongside research partners, Sprout City Farms is trailblazing larger scale crop cultivation under solar panels, in an innovative farming practice called agrivoltaics. 

Research partners include:
Colorado State University
University of Arizona
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center

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https://youtu.be/vn369oftBsg

Matt and Sean (and special guest Rob van der Wouw) talk about the impact and hurdles to incorporating solar energy production into agricultural production.

Watch the Undecided with Matt Ferrell “Solar Panels Plus Farming? Agrivoltaics Explained” episode: https://youtu.be/lgZBlD-TCFE

YouTube version of the podcast: https://youtu.be/vn369oftBsg

Get in touch: https://undecidedmf.com/podcast-feedback

Support the show: https://pod.fan/still-to-be-determined

Follow us on Twitter: @stilltbdfm @byseanferrell @mattferrell or @undecidedmf

Undecided with Matt Ferrell: https://www.youtube.com/undecidedmf