Agrivoltaics Research Directions

In response to student and community advocacy around climate action, both the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Alliant Energy have been growing their use of renewable electricity. In recent years, solar has been the foremost renewable energy option in Wisconsin, most of which has been developed on agricultural land. This has led to local tensions and public discourse over land use, particularly regarding Wisconsin’s tradition of agricultural production. The growing field of “agrivoltaics” is a proposed solution, where agricultural production continues on the same plot as the solar arrays, thus maintaining agricultural productivity of the land while also using it to produce renewable energy.

UW-Madison worked with Alliant Energy to develop the institution’s first solar and agricultural research pilot project at the Kegonsa Research Campus near Stoughton, WI. EAP students Sara Hartke (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Bailie Neary (Agricultural and Applied Economics), Nolan Stumpf (Agricultural and Applied Economics), and Xinran Wu (Environment and Resources) researched current applications of agrivoltaics, evaluated the landscape for agrivoltaics in Wisconsin, and developed recommendations to support the Kegonsa Research Campus Solar and Agricultural Research Pilot Project and further agrivoltaic opportunities in Wisconsin. The team was also able to participate in an experiential spring break peer-exchange tour at the University of Arizona and Biosphere 2 to meet the researchers there and learn about the frontiers of agrivoltaics development.

Expected to be completed by early 2024, the site will be a demonstration to the public about the benefits of and opportunities for agrivoltaics in Wisconsin and provide UW-Madison, Alliant Energy, and other stakeholders a better understanding of best practices and community concerns about the co-location of solar energy and agriculture. Based on their research findings, the EAP capstone team encouraged Alliant and UW-Madison to promote standardization of key terms and metrics, choose agricultural activities that reflect local agricultural heritage, foster data transparency, encourage community involvement and outreach, and involve collaborative multi-sector research.