Watch: Connexus Energy’s Agri-Solar Field

NCAT’s Energy Program Director Stacie Peterson takes us on the Follow the Sun Tour to their Minnesota stop at Connexus Energy Headquarters. The tour included a solar Farm to Table Sampler featuring solar grown food next to Connexus’ AgriSolar project.

The AgriSolar Clearinghouse is an NCAT project that is funded by the Department of Energy to form a community gathering , networking, and information hub regarding the colocation of solar energy production and agriculture.  The project will lead tours around the country to offer the public an opportunity to visit AgriSolar sites, talk with farmers, ranchers, landowners, and researchers about the projects, and network with the AgriSolar community. These tours showcase what is possible and help build the resources, network, and enthusiasm needed to create successful AgriSolar projects around the country.

Check out this awesome story from a recent AgriSolar event!

Watch: Agrivoltaics as a Climate-Smart Conservation Cropping Practice, Jack’s Solar Garden, and the AgriSolar Clearinghouse

In this webinar from the Indiana Conservation Cropping System Initiative, AgriSolar Clearinghouse partner Greg Barron-Gafford provides an agrivoltaics primer and a discussion of potential for agrivoltaics in climate-smart crop practices. Byron Kominek then describes his successful agrivoltaic farm, Jack’s Solar Garden. Byron describes ongoing studies, farm economics, community development, and education programs at the farm. Stacie Peterson closes the webinar with a description of the agrivoltaic resources available in the AgriSolar Clearinghouse.

WATCH: Pollinators, Prairie, and Power

The relationship among plants, soil, insects, and water is complex. This film by Prairie Restorations, Inc. explains the unique opportunity to rebuild America’s prairies and power the country, by co-locating solar arrays with pollinator habitat.

“What better use than to make it into a win-win situation. Now we can generate electricity, but under those solar panels, we can generate pollinator habitat, plant habitat, soil enhancement – it’s just absolutely a no-brainer,” says Prairie Restorations Founder Ron Bowen.

WATCH: Inside Biosphere 2 Agrivoltaics

AgriSolar Clearinghouse partner Greg Barron-Gafford highlights the Biosphere 2 work in Agrivoltaics, including the application of biosphere techniques to fine-tune agrivoltaic crop growing.

The project includes citizen science that engages high-school students in a long-term agrivoltaic installation at the University of Rincon High School.

This video was produced by The Good Stuff.

WATCH: Agrivoltaics with Greg Barron-Gafford

AgriSolar Clearinghouse partner Greg Barron-Gafford describes the mutual benefits of growing crops under solar panels in large-scale solar arrays.

In this video produced by Arizona Public Media, Dr. Gafford explains these benefits through an ecological approach of a salsa garden understory and a solar panel overstory.