Beehives Cows Sheep Goats continued ILLUSTRATION BY MATT TWOMBLY R E S E AR C H The basic idea behind agrivoltaics is that solar panels and plants have a symbiotic relationship. Plants need only so much sunlight before they become stressed and start to sweat — increasing water use and reducing productivity. Strategically placed shade can yield healthier crops with less irrigation. In turn, vegetation cools the air beneath solar panels, improving efficiency and extending panel lifespan. Ideally, it could be a win-win-win benefiting food, water and energy systems simultaneously. But the knowledge of how best to set up this relationship is still a work in progress. In April 2023, OSU completed a five-acre agrivoltaics installation at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) near Aurora. For the first time anywhere in the United States, scientists could study the relationship between solar panels and agriculture in a space designed for that work, rather than conducting what Higgins calls “experiments of opportunity” under existing solar arrays. Now OSU faculty and students are experimenting with a cornucopia of crops. Still, what works in Oregon may fail in Minnesota. Higgins knew testing every crop in every microclimate would be impossible. That brings us back to grass — orchardgrass, specifically. Common in the Willamette Valley, orchardgrass is used for pastures, hay and erosion control. But more importantly, grass is a global reference crop: its growth patterns align predictably with more than 200 other crops. Higgins realized that if he could isolate the effect of agrivoltaics on orchardgrass, determining the optimal combination of growing factors — precisely how much water + nutrients + sunlight/shade = greatest yield — that equation could then be applied broadly. That’s huge. On a January morning NWREC tour, the test plot — two years into a three-year effort — looked like, well, a frosty, grassy field. But to Higgins, it’s a field of dreams.That same week, The Oregonian reported on a study commissioned by regional utilities, warning that within five years, the Pacific Northwest could face energy shortages severe enough to cause rolling blackouts. As society wrestles with how best to use limited land and secure the three foundational elements of modern life — food, water and energy — Higgins suggests “the narrow path to thread the needle is agrivoltaics.” To be sure, big policy questions remain — like who would pay for the technology. But first we need to nail down the science, and that’s what land-grant universities do best. Higgins’ passion is to help family farms survive. Once a first-generation college student from Upstate New York dairy country, Higgins understands the pressures farmers face. Farms have always harvested solar energy, he noted. Agrivoltaics harvests it twice. “This is a way to increase farm profitability and sustain viability for another season,” he said. “People say, ‘I don’t believe you, Chad; it doesn’t add up.’ I say, ‘Come and visit, come drive the tractor through. Believe the evidence of your own eyes.’” Solar Grazing Agrivoltaics works with pasture land as well, offering shade to grazing cows and sheep. Goats, however, are discouraged because of their tendency to chew and climb equipment. 22 OregonStater.org Harvesting Watts The five-acre North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) has an installed capacity of 320 kWh , enough to power 40 homes. Iffy Solar friendly
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