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Open Dual-Use Design Challenge calls students to find agrivoltaic solutions to on-farm challenges and develop integrated value-add ideas to support agriculture and agribusiness
by incorporating advanced solar applications.
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We are thrilled to announce we have partnered with the InSPIRE project to launch the inaugural
Dual-Use
Design Challenge–a collaborative student design competition cultivating innovation at the intersection of agriculture and solar energy! Open to students in K-12 and post-secondary education, this hands-on learning exercise encourages
young minds across North America to take on real-world farming challenges and develop creative on-farm solutions.
Whether through written proposals, 3D models, and/or illustrations, participants can submit in multiple formats to demonstrate their ideas for what, where and how solar
technology can coexist with crop production, livestock management and/or conservation–and deliver important co-benefits to rural communities and local food systems.
Finalists and winning projects will be recognized at the
2025
Solar Farm Summit, August 4-7 at McCormick Place in Chicago, where students will have the opportunity to showcase their ideas to industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers. Details regarding cash prizes, travel scholarships,
awards and a webinar are forthcoming.
Know a student or educator who may be interested in participating? Please forward this opportunity on!
Educators and parents are encouraged to support students in their participation, with resources and guidance available through the official
Student
Design Challenge website here >>
Read
the Outreach Letter here >>
Access
the Educator Guide here >>
Find
the Design Challenges, Prompts, and Resources here >>
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2025 Solar Farm Summit Early Bird Registration is Imminent!
Save the dates for the
2025
Solar Farm Summit this summer in a new location and another deeply enriching and difference-making experience. Join us along Chicago’s magnificent lakeshore
August 4-7 at McCormick Place to plug into the next evolution of the solar energy + agriculture revolution during the 3rd edition of North America’s Agrivoltaics Expo, the continent’s 1st
dedicated dual-use development conference and agrivoltaics exhibition, brought to you again by returning title sponsor
American
Farmland Trust.
Early bird registration and expo reservations opening this month!
Interested in sponsoring or exhibiting? Reply to this email to receive a preview and make a reservation before the official launch!
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Make a nomination for the 2025 North American Agrivoltaics Awards by April 28!
Do you know of an outstanding dual-use project or professional? Help us find the best projects, people, and proposed projects by making a nomination for the 2025 North
American Agrivoltaics Awards (NAAA25), recognizing excellence in dual-use solar development! Visit the
NAAA
website to see last year's winners and finalists, read their stories, and submit your nomination(s) for the projects and people making a difference in agrivoltaics and ecovoltaics!
The deadline to submit a nomination is April 28!
Learn
more and make a nomination on the NAAA25 website here >>
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AFT Releases Policy Recommendations to Advance Agrivoltaics
American Farmland Trust (AFT),
the national leader in agriculturally compatible solar, has released its "Policy Recommendations to Increase Agrivoltaic Development." This release builds on last year’s "State and Local Policy Recommendations to Achieve a Smart Solar Buildout" by providing
principles, guidelines, and a recommended statutory definition for agrivoltaics and related incentives that, if implemented, would help ensure solar development keeps land in production and supports rural farm economies.
Read
the complete release and links to the recommendations on AFT's website here >>
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The American Farm Bureau Has Also Prioritized Agrivoltaics in Its 2025 Policy Book
At the 106th American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in January almost 5,000 attendees gathered to meet, hear from more than 80 speakers, and set policy priorities for
2025. For the first time, the American Farm Bureau’s Policy Book included recommendations for the prioritization of solar development that either allows for "verified" agricultural production to carry on via shared land use, commonly known as "agrivoltaics,"
or for solar projects to be sited on marginal and brownfield land.
Get
the complete details and find the AFBF's policy recommendations on the SFS blog here >>
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Stacie Peterson Joins the American Solar Grazing Association as Executive Director
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The American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA)
recently announced that Stacie Peterson, Ph.D., a brilliant and trailblazing leader in land use, energy, and agrivoltaics, has joined as its new Executive Director. By adding Stacie's inexhaustible energy, organizational expertise, and extensive experience
in environmental engineering, sustainable energy, and community engagement, ASGA is poised to take its breakthrough work as the leading voice of solar grazing in the U.S. to the next level.
Learn
more and access a wealth of information available on ASGA's website here >>
WATCH
Stacie on CBS Mornings' feature on solar grazing last year on YouTube here >>
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Robust New AgPV Best Practices Guide Now Available
The AgriSolar Clearinghouse has brought together top experts and compiled a comprehensive best practices resource covering the co-location of solar power with crops,
grazing, pollinators, and much more. In addition to helpful introductory and overview sections, this new 120-page guide covers low-impact design, includes policy insights, and provides real-world case studies essential for farmers, developers, and planners
looking to maximize land use.
Access
the "Best Practices in Agrisolar" guidebook on the AgriSolar Clearinghouse website here >>
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Attend AFT's Saving America's Working Lands National Conference, Coming to Texas This April
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The Saving America's Working Lands National Conference is being hosted by American Farmland Trust April 23-25 in Dallas, Texas! Join AFT to deepen your knowledge of agricultural
land protection tools, discuss emerging issues and trends, and explore and elevate new ideas and strategies to save America’s working lands.
Early
bird registration ends March 14 >>
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Solar Grazing Taking Center Stage at the 2025 Virginia Solar Summit This Spring
Join us at the magnificent Marriott in downtown Richmond April 28-30 for the 2025 Virginia Solar Summit (VSS25),
co-hosted this year with the Virginia
Department of Energy and the American
Solar Grazing Association (ASGA)! Greater Virginia’s long-running ground-mounted solar development event keenly focused on land use, VSS25 is doubling down on dual-use with special guests, feature sessions, mobile tours, and
more!
The 2025 Virginia Solar Summit is brought to you by Title Sponsor
Nevados—2024
Gold Medal Winner of Virginia's Governor Youngkin's Governor's Environmental Excellence Award!
Learn more and register on the
Virginia
Solar Summit website >>
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