Sunshine and strawberries: ISU, Alliant to test whether solar farms also can grow produce

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.

Related:Iowa residents contend solar, wind projects get in the way of their communities' growth

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.

What will they be looking for?

They want to assess issues such as whether the crops will grow under or between the panels. Will they get enough sun or water? Do the plant varieties or heights come into play? Do the plants impact the solar array's energy production, such as cooling the panels so they're operating at peak efficiency? Is growing crops among the panel financially feasible?

Has this worked elsewhere?

On Jack's Solar Garden in Colorado, farmers grow 15 varieties of crops, from salad greens to root vegetables. In Maine, farmers are growing blueberries under solar arrays and in Massachusetts, cranberries, according to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory report. Ranchers graze sheep in Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, Minnesota and New York, and honeybees are raised and pollinator habitat is grown across the country under solar arrays, the report says.

Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com or 515-284-8457.