One beef with solar farms is that they can take valuable agricultural land out of production. Now, with solar farms popping up across the state, Iowa State University scientists want to find out if the land used to generate electricity also can be tapped to grow garden produce.
Here's what to know about the project.
What does it entail? Iowa State University received a four-year, $1.8 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to test whether acres covered with hundreds of solar panels also can be used to raise food. Alliant Energy, ISU's partner on the project, will provide the equipment for the 1.35-megawatt solar farm and lease the university land. The utility's contribution will reach about $750,000, said Ajay Nair, an ISU associate professor of horticulture. A diverse team of ISU scientists — from a bee specialist to electrical and computer engineers to an economist — will work on the project, officially called the Alliant Energy Solar Farm at Iowa State University.
What's the team planting? Vegetables like broccoli, squash and peppers and fruits like raspberries and strawberries, Nair said. They also plan to raise honeybees on the site and will plant pollinator habitat to support them.
Is this the first project of its kind? Across the country, researchers are testing whether agricultural uses can mix with solar power, an emerging research area called agrivoltaics. Farmers are using solar farms to graze sheep and other livestock and plant prairies that are harvested for seed.
When does the project begin? Alliant will start building the solar farm on about 10 acres south of Ames this month, Nair said. Scientists expect to begin their work in September, after the construction is finished. Team members might begin planting some fruit crops in the fall, but full production won't begin until the spring of 2024, Nair said.
Source: desmoinesregister.com
Categories: Iowa, Crops