Green energy is increasingly green. In the most recent development, the largest agricultural research project in the United States is taking shape in Colorado around a series of solar panels, which means that they will not plant a layer of gravel under the solar panels. They will plant plants for people, animals, birds and insects to eat. This is just a sample of the community benefits expected to come from the so-called Jack’s Solar Garden in Boulder County, Colorado.
Putting Green into Green Energy
Solar farms have become a lifeline for farmers in need of income, but the problem is that conventional solar panels are not very agricultural. Lawmakers are already concerned that the replacement of many arable land with solar panels will lead to food supply problems.
Agrivoltaics was born when a light bulb exploded in someone’s head. If you take a common solar panel mounted on the ground and lift it just a few extra meters from the ground, enough sunlight and water can reach the land to do agriculture underneath.
If there was no free lunch, the higher shelves would be more expensive and it could be difficult to harvest on a commercial scale while dodging between the more expensive shelves to begin with.
However, agrivoltaic technology has taken off like a rocket in the past year or so, coupled with a surge in interest in the field of regenerative agriculture. Soil and water conservation is the main overlap, as the solar panel helps to reduce evaporation. Meanwhile, the cooling effect of vegetation helps to improve the efficiency of solar conversion.
The knowledge base is growing rapidly and at least one leading solar developer, Lightsource BP, is already offering an agrivoltaic angle in its PV business.
US Department of Energy, Hearts, Green Energy
So far, much of the agrivoltaic activity in the United States has focused on combining pollinating habitats and green energy pastures. There are also some interesting activities going on in the cranberry swamps.
Meanwhile, the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory is among those developing an interest in growing real vegetables for people to eat between solar panels.
That’s where Jack’s Solar Garden comes in. In 2019, the family farm won an NREL award to serve as the site of the largest agrivoltaic research project in the United States, taking advantage of the 1.2-megawatt solar panel on the 24-acre farm.
The project involves NREL as a project manager and technical support, with Colorado State University conducting field and desktop studies. The University of Arizona is also committed to the project.
The initial proposal for the study area was quite modest, consisting of only 1 acre planted with various vegetables. However, a large amount of energy is being put into space, including a new rainwater distribution system taking advantage of the flow from the solar panels.
Everybody Hearts Agrivoltaics
The green energy portion of the project took shape last fall, when Jack’s Solar Garden turned on his new solar panel, and this spring will be the first planting season. Along with the usual wild flowers and grasses, the field will house vegetables such as carrots, onions, tomatoes and squash.
This spring will also be able to witness the beginning of a new spurt of activity in the field of agrivoltaics across the United States. The solar supply chain is already gearing up to stimulate investor interest.
Earlier this week, Solar FlexRack, an Ohio-based photovoltaic tracker company, highlighted Jack’s Solar Garden in a press release publicizing its “TDP Turnkey Solar Trackers”, which solar developer Namasté Solar deployed to build the joint on Jack’s.
“Namasté Solar… selected Solar FlexRack’s TDP solar trackers due to their versatility, as well as their intelligent backtracking, which reduces line shading and increases energy production”, enthused Solar FlexRack, adding that his “TDP solar trackers adaptable solutions have enabled Namasté Solar to overcome the challenge of installing trackers at several different heights to test the impact of various amounts of shade and sunlight on crop growth, while maximizing solar energy production. “
Extra green energy benefits for the green business of the future
For those of you who are keeping the score at home, Solar FlexRack is a division of Northern State Metals, based in Ohio, and the parent company is not missing out on the opportunity to launch its green energy star along with a host of benefits. for the community as well.
The press release Solar FlexRack shares much of the love with Jack’s Solar Garden, noting that “with the help of Namasté Solar and Solar FlexRack, Jack’s has been able to emphasize the idea of community while cultivating the next generation of agribusiness farmers ”.
The press release highlights these details:
1. Namasté Solar is an employee-owned cooperative and has been certified as a B Corporation since 2011, which means that “it is legally required to consider the impact of its decisions on its employees, suppliers, communities, consumers and the environment”.
2. Audubon Rockies planted its largest “Habitat Hero” garden around the solar panel, consisting of 1,800 perennial plants.
3. Sprout City Farms will manage the plantations and train Colorado’s first generation of green energy farmers. The non-profit organization is known for building urban educational farms and supporting local food systems with the aim of improving the health and resilience of the community.
4. Jack’s Solar Garden donates 2% of its green energy production to local low-income families.
5. Jack’s also runs an “Artist on the Farm” program to support local artists.
6. And Jack’s established the new nonprofit Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center, which will conduct educational tours and on-site research projects.
More green energy for the whole community
To freeze the green energy cake, the solar energy from the solar panel at Jack’s Solar Garden is part of a community solar program run by the Xcel Energy concessionaire. Community solar refers to solar projects that allow local taxpayers to claim a slice of the green energy from solar panels located in or near their community.
The Department of Energy is a huge fan of community solar energy programs, envisioning them as a fundamental way to bring affordable solar energy within reach of all US homes.
Community solar energy programs also provide local businesses with a green promotional angle. The local company Western Disposal, for example, attracted favorable media attention when it joined Jack’s Solar Garden for green energy last week.
“Western Disposal now obtains about 90% of its electricity from a renewable source, thanks to a new partnership with Jack’s Solar Garden,” he noted. Yahoo! News.
Then there is Boulder’s national cannabis producer, Terrapin, who struck a deal for 10% of Jack’s Solar Garden’s production. Pressure is growing on domestic cannabis growers to take care of their carbon footprints, and the solar deal will allow Terrapin to claim 25% renewable energy for its operations.
follow me on twitter @TinaMCasey.
Photo via prnewswire.com: “Byron Kominek, owner of Jack’s Solar Garden, driving his family’s tractor through his solar energy system (courtesy of Werner Slocum, National Renewable Energy Laboratory).
New Podcast: EV Sales Forecast and EV Battery and Metal Prices – Interview with BloombergNEF’s Head of Clean Energy Research