Agricultural Sited Solar Exploration
Problem statement
The world as we know it will never be the same. Pollution has set our Earth on fire, and action needs to be taken. Renewable energy is the only solution to stop burning fossil fuels. Solar energy is a proven renewable energy source, but solar fields require a significant amount of space. Currently, 58% of solar panel fields are placed on good-quality farmland and 19% are placed on medium quality farmland [1]. Meanwhile the current solution, large scale solar fields, strip all vegetation from the field while blocking farmer’s access to their own land. Which is why these current models of solar fields lead to increased soil erosion and can be detrimental to local communities by removing access to local food sources. A solution for this problem is the integration of an agrivoltaic system, which is placing solar panels between crops rows so that food and energy can be produced at the same time. It was found that through the combination of energy and crop production agrivoltaic systems can increase land productivity by 70% [2]. Generally, there is a worry of how solar panels will affect crop growth. However, research has shown that solar panels can create changes in the microclimate of the field that can be beneficial to crops by protecting them from high intensity midday sun [2]. For this project, our group will create three theoretical agrivoltaic models that can be utilized for different types of Wisconsin farms. These systems will be optimized performance-wise and economically with the aid of the Systems Advisor Model (SAM), an NREL solar panel modeling system. This project does not have a single Wisconsin farmer for our client but rather a theoretical farmer that faces the same obstacles and has the same need as all Wisconsin farmers. These needs will try to be empathized with by researching agricultural constraints (like making sure farming equipment will be able to maneuver through solar panel rows) while also contacting farmers already involved in agrivoltaics to integrate their recommendations into this project. Integrated solutions like agrivoltaics not only produce highly-demanded clean energy while maintaining agricultural production but also give farmers a chance to apply conservation methods on their own terms. Sources: [1]S. Levy, M. Ruiz-Ramón, and E. Winter, “Smart Solar Siting on Farmland: Achieving Climate Goals While Strengthening the Future for Farming in New York,” p. 36, Feb. 2022. Retrieved from: https://farmlandinfo.org/publications/smart-solar-siting-in-new-york-report/ [2] A. Weselek, A. Ehmann, S. Zikeli, I. Lewandowski, S. Schindele, and P. Högy, “Agrophotovoltaic systems: applications, challenges, and opportunities. A review,” Agron. Sustain. Dev., vol. 39, no. 4, p. 35, Jun. 2019, doi: 10.1007/s13593-019-0581-3.
Team members
Max Nelson – leader
Alec Wellenstein – communicator
Paul Pundsack – accountant
Anna Groeschel – admin
Izack Tenor
Client
Bartlett Durand, Sand County Foundation