By Andi Anderson
Growing vegetables inside utility-scale solar farms may seem unusual, but new research from Iowa State University suggests the approach is both practical and economically realistic.
The study explores agrivoltaics, a system that combines agriculture with solar energy production, to determine whether crops can thrive beneath solar panels without interfering with power generation.
During Michigan State University Extension’s MI Ag Ideas virtual session, “Where Veggies Meet Volts: Commercial Vegetable Production in a Solar Project,” Iowa State University horticulture professor Ajay Nair shared findings from a multi-year agrivoltaics study.
The project examined commercial vegetable production inside an operating solar installation. “Agrivoltaics is basically two words combined together,” Nair said. “Agriculture and solar energy production. So how can we grow vegetables and fruits and other crops within a solar farm? That’s basically what we are testing here.”
Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the study took place on a 10-acre, 1.3-megawatt solar farm operated by Alliant Energy on Iowa State University land. Over two growing seasons, researchers successfully produced broccoli, bell peppers, summer squash, strawberries, raspberries, and pollinator plantings using commercial farming equipment.
“It was important for us that we are able to farm on a commercial scale,” Nair said. “Not as a small hobby farm, but more as a commercial production system.”
Results showed that vegetable yields were not significantly compromised. Squash performed better under solar panels, peppers maintained consistent yields, and broccoli experienced only minor reductions in one season. “We are not compromising yield when we grow in this agrivoltaic system,” Nair said. “That’s a big thing to take home.”
Plant growth was often stronger beneath the panels, with drone imagery showing taller plants and increased plant volume. “What we are finding here is the temperatures in the open field are higher,” he said. “Actually, the temperatures in that solar agrivoltaic system are lower. So it’s a buffering temperature.” Microclimate data confirmed cooler air and soil temperatures, reducing crop stress and sunscald damage.
The project also examined labor and economic factors, finding efficiency improved over time. However, Nair emphasized that agriculture remains secondary to energy production. “The main moneymaker is energy,” he said. “In my colleague Matt O’Neals words: If you think of agrivoltaic like a burger, the meat is the electricity. Fruits and vegetables are the sesame on the bun.”
Still, agrivoltaics offers hope for farmers concerned about land use. “Many farmers are saying, ‘I’m interested in solar, but I don’t want to lose agriculture,’” Nair said. “When they see this site, the biggest takeaway is that yes, it is possible without compromising scale.”
Photo Credit: istock-shansekala
Categories: Michigan, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables