Solar panels go up at Grand Junction vineyard, Colorado’s newest ag and energy project; State said to be a hot spot for agrivoltaics, combining clean power and crop protections
On a crisp, sunny mid-October day, Horst Caspari, Colorado’s state viticulturist, oversaw solar installers as they placed panels above his vineyard in Grand Junction. Caspari expects the agrivoltaic system to enhance and protect his quarter-acre research plot of Chardonnay grapes while also producing electricity for the Colorado State University Western Campus, site of the vineyard.
Agrivoltaics, also known as dual-use solar, or co-location, refers to agricultural production — including crops, livestock grazing or pollinator habitat — that occurs underneath or adjacent to solar panels. While the vast majority of agrivoltaic projects in the United States are for grazing or pollinator habitat purposes, Caspari intends to show how placing solar panels above crops benefits growers.
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