In the first dual-use solar agrivoltaic (solar projects co-located with livestock or crops) project in Maine, located on an existing wild blueberry farm, BlueWave Solar and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension have started researching how dual-use solutions can be used in Maine and elsewhere.
The project, which broke ground in 2021, includes a 4.2 MW, 10-acre solar installation owned by Navisun on farmland in Rockport, Maine. The panels were installed above a wild blueberry field, allowing farmers to generate additional income. BlueWave says this positioning helps control temperatures and preserve water.
GO DEEPER: Lucy Bullock-Sieger, vice president of strategy for developer Lightstar Renewables, joined Episode 46 of the Factor This! podcast to discuss a new approach to agrivoltaics. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
The project will also include an agricultural research plot to determine how wild blueberry cultivation is potentially affected by solar arrays, which will be used to create best practices for similar projects in the future.
Agrivoltaic projects don’t require panels to be installed much differently than they would in a normal configuration. At the 1.2 MW Jack’s Solar Garden in Longmont, Colorado, the 3,200 solar panels are not much higher than traditional installations. Jack’s serves as an active research center and showcase for co-located solar and agriculture.
The community solar project at Jack’s helped inspire Massachusetts-based Lightstar Renewables to develop agrivoltaics projects whether or not state incentives are in place. Although some customization is required, Lightstar found that equipment from a standard project could successfully be used in an agrivoltaic setting. For a more in-depth look at agrivoltaics and Lightstar Rewnewables, listen to the Factor This! podcast with Lightstar’s VP of strategy, Lucy Bullock-Sieger.
