Tag: CAIA

White Paper: Advancing Agrivoltaics in Virginia

I’m pleased to announce the release of a new white paper titled “Advancing Agrivoltaics in Virginia,” prepared by the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture (CAIA), the Center for Future Work Places and Practices (CFWPP), and the Power and Energy Center (PEC). This white paper captures insights from an agrivoltaics summit held at Virginia Tech in 2024.

The motivation for the 2024 agrivoltaics summit stemmed from Virginia’s growing need to balance the conservation of agricultural land with the rapid expansion of renewable energy, particularly solar power. As land-use conflicts, economic pressures on rural communities, and the need for climate resilience intensify, agrivoltaics offers a promising solution by enabling the dual-use of land for both farming and solar energy production. The agrivoltaics summit aimed to define strategies for collaboration between industry and state agencies to support agrivoltaics during the renewable energy transition, explore opportunities and challenges from diverse perspectives, and establish a network dedicated to evaluating and advancing agrivoltaics opportunities relevant to Virginia stakeholders.

KEY FINDINGS

  • Farmers are open to agrivoltaics but stress the importance of balancing solar development with protecting prime agricultural land and maintaining long-term farming viability.
  • Early community engagement and overcoming regulatory hurdles are key to successful solar projects, with long-term benefits expected from environmentally responsible, community-focused designs.
  • Utility companies face challenges with grid connection for solar projects but see opportunities for collaboration with local communities to support renewable energy integration.
  • Clear policies, financial incentives, and collaboration among stakeholders are essential to protect farmland while promoting the sustainable development of agrivoltaics in Virginia.

Acknowledgements: This research was supported by a grant from the 4-VA program.

Recommended citation: CAIA, CFWPP, & PEC (2025). Advancing Agrivolatics in Virginia. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg.

Workshop – Advancing Agriphotovoltaics (APV) in Virginia

On August 6 and 7, the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture (CAIA), the Center for Future Work Places and Practices (CFWPP), and the Power and Energy Center (PEC) at Virginia Tech will be hosting a workshop on Advancing Agriphotovoltaics (APV) in Virginia.

The workshop will bring together industry leaders, policy makers, agricultural professionals, and other key stakeholders to:​

  • Establish a network to support APV advancement in Virginia,​
  • Develop collaborative strategies for supporting APV during the renewable energy transition, and​
  • Explore opportunities and challenges in APV identified by diverse stakeholder perspectives​.

The following panels will be held on August 6 to inform a series of facilitated group discussions on August 7.

Agriculture Panel (Moderator: Prof. John Fike, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, VT)

  • Eric Paulson, Executive Secretary of the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association (VSDA).
  • Meredith Ledlie Johnson, Policy Systems and Environmental Change Programming Manger, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE).
  • Jim Riddell, Government Affairs Specialist, consultant, and representative of the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association.

Solar Developers Panel (Moderator: Prof. Ralph Hall, School of Public and International Affairs, VT)

  • Lauren Wheeler, GIS Analyst for the Timmons Group in the Energy and Renewables practice and leads the Virginia permitting team.
  • Iain Ward, Founder and CEO of Solar Agricultural Services, Inc. (SolAg).
  • Jesse Robertson-DuBois, Director, Sustainable Solar Development, BlueWave.
  • Katie Hill, Director of Environmental Compliance at Strata Clean Energy.

Utilities Panel (Moderator: Nam Nguyen, Executive Director, VTES)

Policy Panel (Moderator: John Ignosh, Senior Extension Specialist, Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech)

  • Dana Ashford, Acting Director of USDA-NRCS Ecological Sciences Division.
  • Aaron Berryhill, Solar Program Manager, Virginia Department of Energy.
  • Samantha Levy, Conservation and Climate Policy Manager, American Farmland Trust.
  • Carrie Hearne, Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.

The workshop is made possible by funding received from 4-VA.