Cows and Solar Panels? In a New Jersey First, Project Melds Farming With Electricity Generation

Rutgers-New Brunswick inaugurates state-of-the-art agrivoltaics research and demonstration project for simultaneous production of food and solar energy

Federal, state and university officials are inaugurating a research and demonstration project at Rutgers University-New Brunswick with the purpose of advancing a technology that could produce renewable energy while making farms more sustainable.

The New Brunswick project, part of a $7.4 million effort, consists of 378 vertical bifacial solar panels that can generate electricity whether the sun hits the front or the back of each panel. This design contrasts with typical south-facing fixed-tilt arrays that leave little room in the field for agricultural or horticultural operations.

Installed on a three-acre grassy field at the Rutgers University Animal Farm at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS), the system will enable researchers to test whether modern farming practices can be combined with generating solar energy. The vertical bifacial solar array is the first such installation in New Jersey.

 “DOE recognizes the enormous opportunity for agrivoltaics to combine agriculture with clean energy production, while increasing revenue for farmers and landowners,” said Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus, director of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office. “We congratulate Rutgers University’s Agrivoltaics Program for its commitment to innovation and driving renewable energy deployment forward for the state of New Jersey and beyond.”

Agrivoltaics is an emerging technology that involves the practice of using the same land simultaneously for both agriculture and solar energy production. Farming practices suitable to such structures include growing staple crops, such as corn and soybean, vegetables and hay and raising livestock.

“New Jersey continues to be a national leader in solar and today marks another major milestone for solar innovation in the Garden State,” said New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President (NJBPU) Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “As the BPU aims to launch a pilot dual-use program in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program will continue to inform our efforts to ensure responsible solar development on farmland.”

The project represents a crucial step in efforts to counter the adverse effects of climate change, as sustainable energy solutions like solar power play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate change, she said.

The installation on College Farm Road on the George H. Cook campus will allow researchers to investigate how the design affects grazing strategies for beef cattle and ease of hay harvesting. Scientists also will assess whether certain crops fare better in New Jersey’s climate using an agrivoltaics system, compared with crops produced in other regions of the United States employing agrivoltaics.

“Rutgers University is proud to be leading the effort in developing agrivoltaics for our region,” said SEBS Executive Dean Laura Lawson, who also serves as executive director of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. “This new technology has the potential to produce renewable energy needed to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions while simultaneously making our family farms more viable and sustainable.” 

Most existing solar farms in the U.S. employ low-mounted and closely spaced solar panel arrays that allow for only limited agricultural applications, such as grazing for small animals or providing pollinator habitats, according to university officials. Such systems usually emphasize electricity generation at the expense of agricultural production.

“There’s always been this issue that when a big solar farm goes in, it pretty much takes that ground out of agricultural production, so you can no longer grow crops or raise animals for the lifespan of the system,” said RCEI affiliate David Specca, Assistant Director of the Rutgers EcoComplex and lead of the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program.

As part of the project, two other agrivoltaics systems were installed at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Upper Deerfield, and at the Clifford E. and Melda C. Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown. Through these systems, scientists will evaluate a different solar array design known as a single-axis solar tracking system.

Executive Dean Lawson added, “Today we celebrate the completion of construction of our three state-of-the-art research and demonstration sites and the beginning of the much-needed research and outreach component of this program.”

Rutgers scientists will study the different designs to better understand how each allows for a variety of different farming practices. A multi-year research plan has been developed and started at the beginning of the 2024 growing season.

“We define agrivoltaics as systems that allow for a more diverse range of agricultural or horticultural practices, including grazing large animals, producing staple and specialty crops, and hay,” Specca said. “Our approach emphasizes food production and considers the generated electricity as a low-risk and supplemental income for farmers.”

Agrivoltaics offers the potential to further the renewable energy goals of New Jersey with an anticipated minimal disruption to New Jersey’s roughly 700,000 acres of farmland, according to RCEI affiliate A.J. Both, a Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Environmental Sciences at SEBS. New Jersey is home to more than 10,000 farms, with about one-third of these farms on preserved land, according to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

The New Jersey state legislature and representatives of utility companies are focused on substantially increasing electricity generation from renewable energy sources. The New Jersey Energy Master Plan includes a goal of 100 percent of the state’s electricity generation from renewables by 2050, while Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed to move faster, achieving that objective by 2035, Both said.

“The technology offers several advantages, including reducing the operating costs for farmers by covering some or all of their electric costs,” Both said. “It also will assist in reducing society’s carbon footprint and helping maintain farmland in active production.

Funding from federal and state agencies has made the project possible.

After securing a $104K seed grant from the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station that allowed the formation of and early investigations by the members of the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program, the team received $2.9 million in state appropriations for the construction of the three agrivoltaic systems at three of the university’s farms.

In addition, funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) was received through a multi-institutional grant totaling $1.6 million as part of the agency’s FARMS program. Collaborators on this grant include Delaware State University, American Farmland Trust and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. DOE’s goal is to develop strategies that allow agrivoltaics to thrive within diverse agricultural landscapes, protecting farmers and farmland, while expanding clean energy generation.

In addition, the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program has been awarded a contract for $2.8 million from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to assist with the development and implementation of the state-wide Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program.

A version of this article was originally published by Rutgers Today. Additional coverage has been provided in NJ Spotlight News; you can read and watch that coverage here.