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UW Extension presents agrivoltaics research and local considerations to Kenosha committee
Summary
Anne Cohen of UW Extension described agrivoltaics — growing crops, grazing or pollinator habitat under or near solar panels — and reviewed research, practical constraints and local drafting of a county solar ordinance.
Anne Cohen, diversified vegetable and emerging crops educator with UW Extension, gave a presentation to the Kenosha County Land and Water Conservation Committee on agrivoltaics and its potential in southeastern Wisconsin.
Cohen defined agrivoltaics using the Department of Energy definition discussed in her slides: "It's the agricultural production such as crop or livestock production or pollinator habitats that are underneath solar panels or adjacent to solar panels," and reviewed peer‑reviewed and university research from the Midwest and elsewhere. She summarized potential benefits — reduced panel temperatures, continued agricultural production, pollinator habitat, and supplemental income for landowners — and the main constraints: equipment access, panel height and configuration, irrigation and livestock water access, and decommissioning costs.
Cohen cited ongoing research sites — including an Alliant Energy‑affiliated research array and university plots — that are testing microclimates, different panel heights and configurations, and specialty and forage crops. She described cases where sheep grazing was used successfully under panels, and noted both opportunities and practical limits: "cows aren't cattle aren't as great because they like to rub up against the panel poles," she said, and noted goats and other species have different management challenges. Cohen and committee members discussed how panel height and fencing decisions affect whether grazing or specialty crops are practicable.
Committee members and staff asked questions about site grading, decommissioning and whether the county ordinance written in 2022 adequately addresses vegetation management and pollinator habitat. Cohen said the county ordinance includes vegetation management and height considerations, and she recommended early coordination among developers, utilities and farmers to design arrays that allow agricultural uses when feasible.
Cohen also highlighted work in Wisconsin: a 15‑acre research array at UW‑Madison’s research campus that will study forage species and biomass responses this season, and collaborations with the Savanna Institute on shade‑tolerant perennial crops. She pointed to a multistate project (IL/CO/AZ) that is researching crop responses under different climate and irrigation regimes and described outreach tools used in other projects, such as an interactive educational game called My Agrivoltaic Farm.
The presentation concluded with staff and committee discussion about the county’s experience: staff said earlier large projects moved faster than research and that lessons learned led to county requirements in recent projects for pollinator habitat and vegetation management. Cohen recommended minimizing site disturbance, preserving topsoil and designing for future reclamation.
