
Pollinator Week: Wings of Life! June 20-26, 2022
Pollinator Week is an annual celebration in support of pollinator health, initiated and managed by Pollinator Partnership (P2). It is a time to raise awareness for pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them. The great…

ASGA May Teatime: Benefits and Realities of Solar Grazing, A Checklist for Shepherds and Solar Companies
How can shepherds and solar companies understand each other’s basic requirements and seal the deal?
Join us to hear about the updated "Solar Grazing Checklist for Shepherds and Solar Sites Mangers" from our friends in Vermont, who…

Characterizing the Ecological Effects of Utility-scale Photovoltaic Arrays in Rangeland
By Dr. Seeta Sistla, Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
With the dual growth of utility-scale solar energy and food production, fallowed agricultural landscapes represent…

Tasting the Fruits and Vegetables Grown Under Solar Panels
By: Mariah Rogers, Graduate Student, University of Arizona
Do plants taste different under solar panels? Do they taste better? At the Biosphere 2 Agrivoltaics Learning Lab, we studied just that.
Why Should We Use Agrivoltaics?
Agrivoltaics—the…

Case Study: Solar Grazing at Susquehanna University
Some institutions of higher learning are reducing fossil fuel use by investing in solar panel installations on campus. However, most of them don’t use grazing sheep to manage the grassland under their panels. In 2019, Susquehanna University…

Case Study: EDF Renewables Amprior Site Agrisolar
Arnprior Solar site in fall and winter
All photos courtesy of EDF Renewables
EDF Renewables (EDFR) has dedicated its efforts for over 35 years to create a sustainable energy economy. They have developed nearly 24 GW and continue…

To Mow or Not to Mow?
Timing field management in and around solar fields to optimize conservation opportunities for declining grassland birds
Dr. Amy Johnson, Conservation Biologist and Program Director, Virginia Working Landscapes, Smithsonian’s National Zoo…

Financing and Incentive Options for Solar
By: Andrew Valainis
Director, Montana Renewable Energy Association (MREA)
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the cost to install solar has dropped more than 60% over the last decade alone, with the average residential…

Watch: Teatime – Leasing for Community and Grid Scale Solar: Key Considerations While Negotiating
In this Teatime from April 21, 2022, Tom Murphy, the Director of Penn State’s Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research (MCOR), presents Leasing for Community and Grid Scale Solar – Key Consideration While Negotiating. Tom's current…

Case Study: Cannon Valley Graziers
Cannon Valley Graziers is a vegetation-management company based in Southeastern Minnesota. Since 2018, Arlo Hark and Josephine Trople have been using their flock of sheep to manage vegetation in a variety of environments, working closely…

Characterizing the Ecological Implications of Utility-Scale Solar Energy on Fallowed Farmlands
Written By: Amanda Gersoff (M.Sc. student), Dr. Seeta Sistla
Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Our team is studying the ecological aspects of utility-scale solar arrays set…

Ecosystem Services of Solar-Pollinator Habitat
By Lee Walston and Heidi Hartmann, Argonne National Laboratory
Pollinator habitat at a solar facility in Minnesota. Photo: Lee Walston, Argonne National Laboratory.
Many of us have witnessed regional land-use transformations…