Photovoltaic and Agricultural Systems - Research, Methods & Applications in Agrivoltaics

While states and communities around the US are ramping up renewable energy commitments and incentivizing solar development, many farms are struggling. There is also growing concern that solar development could displace active agricultural use on productive farmland, with impacts to farmer renters, local economies and regional food systems. Without an integrated approach, achieving clean energy goals may come at the loss of some of our most fertile and economically viable farmland to solar development.
Despite growing competition for farmland, American Farmland Trust seeks a more collaborative and sustainable path forward towards a clean energy transition that supports healthy soils, wholesome food, and vibrant farms. We call this Smart Solar Siting. As a strategy within Smart Solar Siting, agrivoltaics is the practice of growing crops while simultaneously generating solar energy. AFT is encouraging research and testing of agrivoltaic applications as a promising approach to deploying solar on farmland.
To increase awareness of cutting-edge research that is driving innovation in this area, AFT is pleased to offer a special by-invitation session with Fraunhofer ISE, an internationally recognized solar research and development center that is a leader in agrivoltaics in Europe and globally.
We invite you to join this session to learn more about agrivoltaics, key concepts and research questions.