Iowa State University and Alliant Energy dedicated a solar farm on the south side of Ames Thursday. The Dean of the ISU College of Agriculture, Daniel Robison says it’s not an ordinary solar operation.
“This project is called an agrivoltaic project, meaning we’re combining the agricultural use of our landscapes with the production of voltage or electricity in this case,” he says. The solar panels are up higher and can rotate to allow for the planting of fruits and vegetables around them.
“There’s pretty good evidence from other trials, that in fact, some fruits and vegetables like raspberries and peppers, and tomatoes, and squash and things of that sort, can actually grow better in and amongst the panels, because during the heat of the day, it’s summertime of course, the panels provide some shade,” Robison says.
ISU received a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to study how the crops do in a solar field. He says that type of research isn’t very abundant in the Midwest. “There has been somewhat more of it done out west, Arizona, Washington State, and some places like that. And this kind of work is expanding as the use of solar panels expand and the recognition that you know, they do end up on in some places on good land, such as we have here in Iowa,” Robison says. And we want to be figuring out ways to capture multiple values off the same piece of ground. And that’s what that’s what this is all about.”
They also have planted pollinator plants like prairie grasses around the solar farm and will have beehives as well. “We can harvest honey as another agricultural product. And we can promote the growth of pollinators, pollinators, and including plants that will help to maintain other kinds of critters like the monarch butterfly,” he says. “So we see lots of, if you will, dual uses or stacked layers of conservation and land use practices on the same piece of ground.”
All that comes along with the ability to harvest power from the sun. “There is a electricity benefit to the university, which will help not only alliance but help the university approaches sustainability goals with respect to renewable energy, and reduce carbon footprint and so on,” Robison says. Alliant Energy designed and constructed the solar farm with 3,300 panels that is capable of generating enough electricity to power 200 homes.