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What is agrivoltaics?
Agrivoltaics, also known as agrisolar, or dual-use solar, is defined by the U.S. Department of Energy as:
"agricultural production, such as crop or livestock production or pollinator habitats, underneath solar panels or adjacent to solar panels"
Agrivoltaics is used to reduce water usage by shading crops, while simultaneously producing sustainable energy.
Check out this video to learn more about agrivoltaics and research happening within the OSU Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering!
EESS Campus Agrivoltaics Site:
Tucked away in a solar panel array near the covered bridge you can find our very own painted solar mount and garden! Our garden also shares the land with sheep. The sheep provide cheap vegetation management for the solar array, and the solar panels provide shading to help the sheep stay cool during the summer. Our small plot was designed to be as resource efficient as possible, while also being affordable and simple to construct.Â
Constructing the frame in the workshop
Installing the frame
Finished product
Our future plans are to expand our agrivoltaics system with more solar panels, along with more water storage and a more advanced irrigation system.
EESS Corvallis Agrivoltaics Site - Cover Crops Experiment:
Cover crops 2 weeks after seeding
Cover crops 2 weeks after seeding
Cover crops 2 months after seeding
Cover crops 2 months after seeding
If you have any questions, reach out to one of our Agrivoltaics Project Managers.
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