SolarEdge announced that its technology has been selected by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, as part of an innovative research and demonstration program to explore the potential of dual-use agricultural voltaic systems for farmers across the state.
Rutgers’ research will support the Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program to be administered by the NJBPU. The pilot program is a three-year, 200 MW agrivoltaic initiative aimed at exploring the feasibility and benefits of agrivoltaic energy. The pilot program is a joint effort between the NJBPU, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the State Agricultural Development Committee, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program. The results and data from the research program will be used as the basis for establishing a permanent Dual-Use Solar Program in New Jersey. The Rutgers Agrivoltaics Program includes three sites, each using a different panel mounting method to investigate the impact on agricultural production and electricity generation:
- Rutgers Animal Farm in New Brunswick has vertically mounted two-sided panels and will be used for forage production and beef cattle grazing (170 kWDC installed and connected to the grid)
- Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown has single-axis trackers and will be used for hay production (94.5 kWDC installed and 82.4 kWDC grid connected)
- The Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Bridgeton has single-axis trackers with both single-wide and double-wide row panels and will be used for vegetable and staple crop production. (255 kWDC installed and 48.6 kWDC grid connected)
At each location, the study will evaluate electricity production, using Module Level Power Electronics (MLPE) to measure and analyze energy production.
“Agrivoltaics is a fast-growing and hugely exciting sector that addresses many of the business challenges farmers face today – from managing rising energy costs to moving to more sustainable production. However, we are still at the beginning of this journey. The aim of our research is to develop knowledge that will help establish practices that can help improve both the sustainability and viability of farms through the safe and regulated application of solar energy. We are excited to work with SolarEdge to achieve these goals,” said Margaret Brennan-Tonetta, director of resource and economic development and senior associate director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.
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