Kyle Proctor had no agricultural background before pursuing his doctorate in water resources engineering at Oregon State, yet he soon found himself growing endless rows of plants beneath solar arrays at the university-operated Vegetable Research Farm.
Water, energy, and agriculture form the bedrock of civilization. While many technologies have advanced these components separately, few have aimed to address all three simultaneously.
Agrivoltaic technology promises to improve food production and reduce water use, while also generating energy. The idea is to place solar panels on land where crops are grown, allowing farmers to harvest the power of the sun twice.
