At 4 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 11, the Solar Farm Summit kicks off its “Agrivoltaics Roadshow” series at Jonathan Alder High School (9200 US-42, Plain City, Ohio 43064). Dan French, Executive Producer of the Solar Farm Summit, North America’s Agrivoltaics Expo, will be joined by solar and agriculture advocates, labor unions, and other local leaders to highlight the high-value bundle of energy, economic and agricultural benefits built into agrivoltaic projects in general, as well as the specific global significance of the unprecedented Oak Run Solar Project, if approved.
Conveniently located at the crossroads of agricultural production in America’s heartland, this first stop in the Solar Farm Summit traveling expo will open the first public dialogue exploring the groundbreaking 800MW, 5,700-acre “dual use” development known as the Oak Run Solar Project, which recently filed plans to implement agrivoltaics at record-shattering scale. More significant than its historic size, the project also proposes to launch a national training center that would serve as a collaborative hub for applied agrivoltaics research by the public and private sector, which comes on the heels of the same developer (Savion LLC) previously establishing Between the Rows, LLC, a collaborative initiative with The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences to develop best practices for crop cultivation combined with utility-scale solar production.
Well situated adjacent to the Ohio State University’s Farm Science Review at the historic Molly Caren Agricultural Center, the Oak Run Solar Project could anchor a revitalized AgTech corridor in the region and establish a global base for agrivoltaics innovation in the Buckeye State.
The 4 p.m. press conference will feature remarks from Mr. French followed by a series of speakers spotlighting the broad, powerful array of benefits that agrivoltaic projects produce for local communities; and will immediately precede a separate public hearing to be held by the Ohio Power Siting Board concerning the Oak Run Solar Project at 5 p.m.
Event Details:
What: Solar Farm Summit Roadshow Rally for Ohio Agrivoltaics
When: Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Time: 4:00 p.m.*
Where: Jonathan Alder High School, 9200 US-42, Plain City, Ohio 43064
*Following the SFS Agrivoltaics Roadshow, the Ohio Power Siting Board will conduct a local public hearing regarding Oak Run Solar Project at 5:00 p.m. ET. These events are independently organized, though both are open to the public.
About Agrivoltaics: Agrivoltaics co-locates and combines agricultural and solar power production by harnessing the shade created by the electricity-producing PV panels to reduce stress on plants and animals, raise crop yields, improve water quality and availability, manage stormwater and erosion, enhance soil health and microbiomes, and/or establish habitat myriad other flora and fauna, including pollinators, which can boost yields at nearby farms. Beyond this extremely broad suite of ecosystem services, planting beneficial vegetation underneath an agrivoltaic system also produces a simultaneous cooling effect on the PV panels and improves their electrical performance. Agrivoltaic practices can also save substantial landscaping costs and lower long term maintenance expenses, particularly in the case of solar grazing.
About the Solar Farm Summit: The Solar Farm Summit is North America’s 1st dedicated agrivoltaics development conference and exhibition, produced by Solar Farm Summit LLC, and purpose-built as an open, catalytic (and ongoing) forum for substantive conversation, collaboration, ideation, professional cross-pollination, and interpersonal connection creative immersive solar energy, land use and dual-use experiences of the very highest educational caliber.
