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Minnesota agrivoltaics project shows promise of mixing farming, solar power
Three farmers now hold 10-year leases after the pilot showed crops can grow alongside a 1-megawatt solar array.
- Winifred Sylvah and two other farmers signed 10-year leases this year, making the Big Lake, Minn., agrivoltaics project permanent after it began as a pilot in 2023.
- The farm is a partnership between The Food Group, U.S. Solar, and Conexus Energy, providing affordable land access for emerging farmers while utilizing space between solar rows for crop cultivation.
- Sylvah manages about an acre and a half of land, harvesting approximately 140 pounds of cucumbers and West African vegetables including okra and collard greens for Community Support Agriculture and local schools in Albertville, Minn., and Buffalo, Minn.
- Food Group Executive Director Sophia Lenarz-Coy stated the organization will not pursue federal grants for the next few years following the USDA's $300 million in cuts to programs supporting new farmers of color.
- Integrating agriculture provides solar firms with a "social license to operate," Iowa State University Professor Ajay Nair said, as farmers monitor property conditions; most agrivoltaic projects in the United States currently focus on livestock grazing rather than produce farming.
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Associated Press News+11 Reposted by 11 other sources
Minnesota agrivoltaics project shows promise of mixing farming, solar power
Winifred Sylvah picked a handful of plump cucumbers on a cold, wet September morning as raindrops trickled off rows of solar panels in the background.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources13
Leaning Left7Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Left
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources lean Left
54% Left
L 54%
C 38%
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