Alliant Solar Farm at Iowa State University

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In a pioneering initiative, Iowa State University (ISU) has embarked on a research project to explore the combination of crops and solar power. Horticulture and agriculture students will plant crops to study how they perform under solar arrays of various heights and configurations. Engineering students will review solar production data to see how various crop plantings impact solar production.

The 2.2MW solar farm project – the biggest in Central Iowa – is a collaboration between ISU and Alliant Energy. Alliant Energy owns and operates the solar array on land leased from the university. Ideal Energy was subcontracted for solar design, procurement, monitoring, and solar commissioning for the project. Ideal Energy designers worked with ISU researchers to design a variety of solar configurations for testing purposes. Shive-Hattery, provided civil and electrical engineering services including: site plan design, electrical distribution system and engineered specifications for the installation and code compliance.

Researchers plan to explore which crops thrive in a modified solar microclimate. They plan to plant vegetables, fruits, and pollinator habitats. They also intend to study how solar site maintenance impacts cultivation.

The Alliant Solar Farm at Iowa State University is a groundbreaking agrivoltaics research project merging solar power generation and agriculture to study how best to optimize land use while providing local community benefits.