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Solar research to explore land use and farming integration

A new research project will study how solar arrays affect surrounding ecosystems and identify how they can coexist in agriculture.

Research lead Anthony Kendall at Michigan State University tells Brownfield it’s surprising how little is known about the impact of solar on the environment.

“What is that doing to our land?” he questions. “How does it affect our water? And of course, all of the other attached things, how does it change our ecosystems? How does it displace farm production?”

Kendall says the goal is to create “restorative agroenergy landscapes” where solar development supports, rather than displaces, farming.

“I think one of the things I’m personally most excited about with this research is the ability to provide a stable and reliable source of income to farms, in particular, smaller farms that can help to keep those farms in operation,” he says.

A small outdoor lab is planned for the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, which will help design arrays for underproducing portions of corn and soybean fields.

Kendall says the long-term plan is to build a solar research facility to study how renewable energy can help keep farms profitable and in production.