For this November teatime, we were excited to have Tyler Swanson and Jessica Guarino from the University of Illinois join us to discuss the latest on agrivoltaic regulations (check out their discussion of zoning, for example), solar grazing contracts, the economic considerations around grazing, and best practices from the targeted grazing industry that solar graziers […]
By Stephanie Hince, AES Although Grafton, Massachusetts, is just an hour west of Boston, life there is very different. Grafton is a friendly country town with a lovely historical feel. It has been a farming community for centuries, where thriving cotton, grist, and paper mills once dotted the landscape. Whereas the Quinsigamond River once powered […]
In November, Sabrina Portner from the University of Minnesota presented on her exciting research into growing 14 different forage and grain crops at three different solar sites. The forages and grain were grown in the context of feeding them to the research farm dairy herd. Sabrina and her team looked at how different shade levels […]
What are asset managers looking for when they evaluate proposals from solar graziers? What kinds of concerns do asset managers have about grazing that need to be resolved to get to the contract stage? Keanen Ryan and Lexie Hain from Lightsource bp joined us for a wonderful conversation that answered these questions from the solar […]
Carolina Solar Services has an impressive solar grazing operation based in North Carolina with high performance standards for the industry. For our July Teatime, Brock Phillips from Carolina Solar Services talked with us about how they run their solar grazing operations and handle sustainable vegetation management at solar arrays. Brock touched on how they manage […]
National Center for Appropriate Technology is headquartered in Butte, Montana. A 45-kW solar array was installed on the campus in 2016, when the land was graded and the remains of an old road are still present. Since this installation, native vegetation has crept into the site and has revived itself as a small ecosystem again. […]
It should come as no surprise that farmers are busy people. Success in farming requires hard work and long days, not to mention staying up to speed on farming practices and technologies. As renewable energy deployment on farmland becomes more common, farmers can face challenges understanding how to site and maintain these systems. Drew Shiavone […]
The purpose of this guide is to help Michigan communities meet the challenge of becoming solar ready by addressing SES within their planning policies and zoning regulations. This document illustrates how various scales and configurations of photovoltaic SES fit into landscape patterns ranging between rural, suburban, and urban.
Farmer-members of Organic Valley, a farmer-owned cooperative representing nearly 1,800 family farms, can now access renewable energy options for their operations. In Vermont, solar development company SunCommon has created a program to help Organic Valley farmers access and implement solar energy. SunCommon provides the financing and ownership options for solar array installation so that farmers […]
By Victorian Smart, NCAT Energy Program Assistant If you dream of owning land someday, you’ve probably also experienced apprehension about the process of finding and buying the land. This is the reality of land acquisition – it is financially and mentally challenging to start the process. A survey conducted by the Young Farmer’s Coalition found […]
