Agrivoltaics Canada’s first-ever conference in Alberta will seek to strengthen alliances with farmers by promoting the idea that solar projects and agriculture can share the same land to their mutual benefit.
“It’s our strong contention that we’re not losing farms to solar projects,” said Patrick Gossage, board chair of Agrivoltaics Canada.
“We’re losing them because the next generation of farmers can see how hard it’s becoming to make a living. It’s our strong feeling that agrivoltaics will dramatically change these on-farm economics by providing a lifeline to keep your name on the family farm and continue your farming heritage.”
The Advancing Agrivoltaics for Alberta’s Sustainable Future conference will be held on Thursday, June 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology. The one-day event at the Alumni Centre will be attended by people ranging from farmers and provincial officials to researchers and solar developers.
Agrivoltaics is an emerging sector that aims to maintain and even increase farmland productivity for crops and livestock while enhancing solar electricity generation on the same land, said Gossage. Research has indicated that factors such as shade under solar panels can create microclimates that promote higher humidity and crop growth, he said.
“The big counter argument to solar has always been you’re competing with farmers and taking large swaths of farmland out of production. Agrivoltaics is the antidote to that.”
Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) is in the early stages of planning what it hopes will become a multi-year research program that will help guide the growth of agrivoltaics in Canada.
It will include a survey of up to 500 farmers across Alberta, said Dr. Semeton Amosu, who is a research associate and soil scientist with the Environmental Stewardship Applied Research department at OCCI.
The two-phase project is being planned by Olds College and the University of Alberta in an effort to obtain subjective perspectives from farmers and ranchers about agrivoltaics, he said.
“You want to find out how many producers are aware of agrivoltaics. What is their perception? What is their disposition toward solar projects?”
The first phase will involve a comprehensive survey of these producers to assess awareness, knowledge, perceptions and concerns about agrivoltaics, said Amosu. The survey will also address uncertainties and concerns related to legal considerations or agricultural insurance issues, he said.
Olds College is also preparing a comprehensive report on the current status of agrivoltaics in Alberta that is expected to be completed by September, said Amosu.
“It'll sum up the total output regarding energy production and the households that will be supplied, and also the potential for agricultural production. It will list all of the solar projects that are at different stages in Alberta, and those that are engaged in agrivoltaics.”
Amosu said researchers are also engaged in discussions with solar companies and farmers to explore potential studies. Gossage said providing reliable scientific data about agrivoltaics is crucial for the future of the sector because it enables everyone from farmers to regulators to make informed decisions.
“The credibility Olds College has in the farming community is something we want to lean on. Agrivoltaics is a relatively new concept, and it takes time to socialize these new concepts, but having Olds College as a partner, helping us fight this fight, is invaluable.”
A boom in solar and wind projects in Alberta during the past decade sparked fears by farmers and rural residents about losing prime agricultural land. The provincial government decided in 2024 that projects cannot proceed on Class 1 and Class 2 farmland unless they demonstrate they can coexist with crops and/or livestock.
Gossage said what some people might see as a restriction is instead an opportunity to turn Alberta into a national leader in agrivoltaics.
“We want to extoll the virtues of agrivoltaics as a means of economic diversification for farmers that puts more money in their pockets so they have predictable cash flows they can use to subsidize their farming practice – and maybe most importantly, not have to sell the family farm to a big conglomerate.”
Speakers at the agrivoltaics conference at Olds College will include Janna Grier, an Alberta farmer and co-founder of Solar Sheep who has grazed sheep under solar panels, said Gossage.
“The big takeaway that I would like farmers and Olds College to hear is just the massive opportunity that we have here. There’s a huge opportunity for those that want to capitalize on it to build meaningful, lucrative projects that contribute to agriculture, and the food and energy security of Canadians.”
For more information about the conference, click here.
For more information on agrivoltaics at Olds College, click here.The Smart Farm is working towards providing producers with real-life applied research to help them make informed decisions about implementing technology in their own operations.