Purdue Leads NSF-Funded Midwest Agrivoltaics Incubator to Boost Rural Energy and Economic Resilience to Extreme Weather

Rural communities across the Midwest, whose agricultural economies and energy infrastructure are frequently threatened by extreme weather events such as hailstorms, heat waves and high winds, are getting a new lifeline through a National Science Foundation–funded project at Purdue University.

The NSF’s Regional Resilience Innovation Incubator (R2I2): Midwest Agrivoltaics for Resilient Communities (MARC), supported under grant #2519425, is designed to help these communities become more resilient by combining agriculture with solar energy — to improve resilience from local to national levels. This phase 1 grant positions the team to compete for a Phase 2 grant worth up to $15M for an additional 5 years.

Agrivoltaics, which allows the dual use of land for agricultural production and solar energy generation, holds great promise to diversify farm income, reduce power outages, and increase energy production as energy demand soars. But agrivoltaics systems have seen slow adoption in the Midwest due to uncertainties about land use trade-offs, lack of trusted information about community impacts and benefits, and concerns from farmers and communities about economic viability and performance under extreme weather. The incubator intends to bring together community members, stakeholders and experts to fill those gaps.

"When hail ruins a harvest, heat strains livestock, or windstorms cut electricity, farmers and their communities are hit hard. Our goal is to understand how agrivoltaics can make our nation's rural communities more resilient and prosperous," stated Dr. Dan Chavas, principal investigator.

This project is an ambitious interdisciplinary effort that brings together experts across atmospheric science, agriculture, energy systems, economics, and social science – all housed here at Purdue University across the Colleges of Science, Engineering, Polytechnic and Agriculture, including Extension. Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future (ISF) played an integral role in the development and continued support of the project. ISF provided strategic research teaming support, helping assemble an initial interdisciplinary team of faculty address the complex social, economic and technical aspects of agrivoltaics. This collaborative approach strengthened the project’s ability to meet NSF’s goals for resilience, innovation and community engagement.

The project is led by Purdue University experts across multiple disciplines:

Dr. Dan Chavas is a Professor of atmospheric science in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University and is part of the leadership team for the Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future. Dan is the principal investigator and will lead the project's effort on extreme weather and its risks to agriculture and solar energy systems.

Dr. Aaron Thompson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue University and Director of the Center for Community and Environmental Design. Dr. Thompson is also part of the leadership team for the Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future. His research applies social-ecological science to sustainable landscape development, focusing on agricultural conservation and nature-based solutions. He teaches courses in ecological planning, research methods, and sustainable development.

Dr. Xiaonan Lu is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering Technology and the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (by courtesy) at Purdue University, also holding a joint appointment with Argonne National Laboratory. Xiaonan will lead the efforts of resilience quantification and energy modeling of rural electric power grids considering impacts of distributed energy resources and microgrids.

Dr. Kara Salazar is Assistant Program Leader for community development with Purdue Extension and sustainable communities extension specialist with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. Kara will co-lead community engagement and social science efforts.

Dr. Juan Sesmero is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. He will lead the economic modeling of agrivoltaics technology deployment and assess its economic impacts on community resilience.

The team is also comprised of additional Purdue and industry collaborators. Key project activities include: 

• Building Trust & Community Engagement: Working directly with community, agriculture, and energy partners in co-designing strategies for agrivoltaics deployment to support local communities in the rural Midwest.
• Quantifying Extreme Weather Resilience Benefits: Analyzing how extreme weather events—hail, heat, wind—impact both agriculture and the power grid and how agrivoltaics may be able to reduce these impacts on communities.
• Economic and Power Grid Models & Community Tools: Developing tools, metrics and models that incorporate local conditions to help farmers, planners and communities understand risks and potential benefits to make informed decisions about agrivoltaics.
• Identifying Agrivoltaics Pathways: Evaluating which agrivoltaic configurations are suitable under different land, climatic, and economic conditions.
• Roadmap & Policy Framework: Producing a dynamic roadmap and a policy/planning framework aimed at facilitating broader, community-supported adoption of agrivoltaics.

By the end of the initial funding period, the incubator expects to deliver viable agrivoltaics models and pathways tailored to varying Midwest geographies and farming systems; decision-support tools for landowners, communities, and policymakers; as well as strengthened partnerships among academia, industry, government and local communities.

“For farmers, adapting to changing conditions, markets, and policies has always been crucial for success. Agrivoltaics offers an opportunity to maintain land in production while diversifying revenue by tapping into a growing segment of the energy market,” stated Dr. Aaron Thompson. “This initiative focuses on answering key questions about balancing reliable energy income with the production of food and fiber that are essential for maintaining the strength of Indiana's agricultural economy.”

For more information about the NSF Regional Resilience Innovation Incubator, and the Midwest Agrivoltaics Incubator, visit the project website.
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About the Purdue Institute for a Sustainable Future
Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future (ISF) convenes interdisciplinary teams to tackle complex sustainability challenges. Through strategic research teaming support, ISF helps faculty and partners develop competitive proposals and impactful solutions across environmental, economic, and social domains. Learn more at research.purdue.edu/isf.

About the Purdue College of Science
Purdue University’s College of Science is committed to the persistent pursuit of the mathematical and scientific knowledge that forms the very foundation of innovation, developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges with degree programs in the life sciences, physical sciences, computational sciences, mathematics, and data science. Learn more at purdue.edu/science.

About the Purdue College of Agriculture
Purdue’s College of Agriculture (Purdue Agriculture) is one of the world’s leading colleges of agricultural, food, life, and natural resource sciences. As a land-grant institution, we are committed to preparing our students to make a difference, wherever their careers take them; stretching the frontiers of science to find solutions to some of our most pressing global challenges; and, through Purdue Extension and engagement programs, helping the people of Indiana, the nation and the world improve their lives and livelihoods. Learn more at ag.purdue.edu/index.html.

About the Purdue School of Engineering Technology
Purdue’s Polytechnic Institute connects students, innovative learning, and industry partnerships. Within Polytechnic, the Purdue School of Engineering Technology is redefining engineering practice by bridging engineering theory and real-world application. Learn more at polytechnic.purdue.edu/.

About the Purdue Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Purdue’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is the largest academic unit at Purdue—and the largest ECE program in the nation—with more than 2,500 undergraduate students and over 1,500 graduate students across our West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations. With 125+ faculty members and a wide range of top-ranked programs, Purdue ECE offers unmatched scale, excellence, and opportunity. Learn more at engineering.purdue.edu/ECE.

About Purdue Extension Community Development
Community Development strengthens the capacity of Indiana leaders, residents, businesses, and organizations to build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable communities through research-based resources and processes. Community Development addresses priority issues in the areas of community
economics and workforce development, community planning, community health, and leadership and civic engagement. Learn more at extension.purdue.edu/about/about-us.html.