The Big Picture and Nitty Gritty of Agrisolar

This episode is a conversation between NCAT Energy Program Director Stacie Peterson and Iain Ward, a farmer and founder of Solar Agricultural Services.

It is the sixth in a series of AgriSolar Clearinghouse podcasts that are being featured on ATTRA’S Voices from the Field podcast.

Stacie and Iain discuss the potential of agrisolar as way to remove barriers to entry into farming, how agrisolar is shifting the solar industry to consider regenerative agriculture, practical considerations for getting started in agrisolar, Iain’s connection with Wendell Berry, and Wendell’s thoughts on co-locating solar and agriculture.

 Related NCAT Resources:

• AgriSolar Clearinghouse
• AgriSolar Podcasts Ep. 1: Growing Crops Among the Solar Panels in Colorado 
• AgriSolar Podcasts Ep. 2: Keeping Family Farms in Family Hands with AgriSolar in Massachusetts
• AgriSolar Podcast Ep. 3: Lexie Hain — Sheep and Solar a Match 
• AgriSolar Podcast Ep. 4: Birds, Bees, and Butterflies – Solar Pollinator Habitat
• AgriSolar Podcast Ep. 5: Sharing the Journey with AgriSolar Consulting

 Other Resources:

•  Solar Agricultural Services
• Poetry Foundation: Wendell Berry
• University of Massachusetts Dual-Use Solar & Agriculture
•  Rutgers Agrivolatics Program
•  Farmer’s Footprint
•  ReNourish Studio
• American Farmland Trust Smart Solar
• The Land Institute
• Savory Institute
•  Brown’s Ranch 
•  Regenerative Agriculture Meets Solar Farm in New Partnership
•  Polyface Farm
• Spade Agrivoltaics Design and Development

Contact Stacie Peterson at [email protected].

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You can get in touch with NCAT/ATTRA specialists and find access to our trusted, practical sustainable-agriculture publications, webinars, videos, and other resources at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Solar Energy Technologies Office Award Number DE-EE000937. Legal Disclaimer: The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.