Solar Farms Can Still Support Agriculture

By Andi Anderson

During the MI Ag Ideas virtual session Growing Grass and Alfalfa Hay Between Solar Arrays, hosted by Michigan State University Extension, Extension Field Specialist Eric Romich and Assistant Professor and State Small Ruminant Extension Specialist Brady Campbell shared early findings from a U.S. Department of Energy–funded project in Ohio.

Researchers from The Ohio State University Extension are studying whether solar farms can also function as working farms.

Their research focuses on growing alfalfa and grass hay between large utility-scale solar arrays as a practical agrivoltaic solution in the Midwest.

“This is a topic that is relevant in many states across the Midwest,” Romich said. “Hopefully, there’s something related to this research that you can take and apply to your communities back home.”

The project focuses on forage crops, namely alfalfa and cool-season grass hay, because they are widely used and can be grown on a large scale. “We were really interested in trying to find solutions that were scalable and economical,” Romich said.

Most current agrivoltaic projects focus on pollinator habitats or grazing and remain small in size.

Researchers planted forage plots between solar panels and compared them to plots outside the arrays. They measured yields, forage quality, equipment performance, and soil compaction over two growing seasons.

Results showed that alfalfa grown between panels produced similar yields to traditional fields, even with lower seeding rates.

“You could actually get the same amount of yield and save 25% on your seed cost,” Campbell said.

Forage quality also remained strong. “As you’re thinking about growing good quality feedstuffs within these alleyways, alfalfa does a nice job,” Campbell said. “It establishes well, it does well within these areas, it has a good yield to it, and also good quality.”

Cool-season grass hay also performed well, sometimes producing higher yields than control plots. Campbell noted that protein levels were suitable for livestock such as beef cattle and small ruminants.

The team also studied soil impacts and found that compaction from construction improved after one year of forage cropping. “After one year of cropping, we start to see some reduction in that compaction,” Romich said.

Both experts stressed that careful planning is necessary. “This is going to require upfront commitments,” Romich said. Campbell added, “The exciting part for me was being able to see us produce a product that’s viable in the marketplace and is of good quality. That’s what really matters for producers.”

Photo Credit: istock-shansekala