Cultivating Innovation

In an age where energy, agriculture, and ecological stewardship intersect, the University of Georgia is training the next generation of problem-solvers to lead the way. Through hands-on work in agrivoltaics—the integration of solar energy production with agricultural activity—UGA students are helping shape the future of both farming and energy production.

And there’s no better classroom than the field. Students recently visited Silicon Ranch’s solar farm in Elko, Georgia, where sheep graze beneath 800 acres of panels generating power for more than 11,000 homes. In Plains, they toured a second solar site where UGA researchers have studied ecosystem functions since 2020. These experiences gave students firsthand insight into how pairing solar infrastructure with agriculture and pollinator habitats can maximize land use, support biodiversity, and create new income streams for farmers.

Bodie Pennisi (left) and Jason Schmidt (right) give College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean Nick T. Place an overview of their research at Silicon Ranch solar farm in Elko, Georgia. The farm partnered with CAES for entomological research and the VIPR program. (Photo by Sean Montgomery)

“These two sites offered an excellent opportunity for students to visualize how the system works and some of the challenges and questions we are trying to address,” says Bodie Pennisi, the Vincent J. Dooley Professor of Ornamental Horticulture in the Department of Horticulture and statewide UGA Cooperative Extension landscape specialist. “It is important for the students to have a grounded understanding of a complex system, from a scientific and a social perspective.”

In the field, students are digging deeper. They measure ecosystem diversity under solar arrays, track soil moisture, and assess how solar shading reduces heat stress on plants and animals. Their findings are helping to balance energy production with environmental resilience, critical knowledge for designing future land-management strategies.

This work is made possible through UGA’s Vertically Integrated Projects for Research (VIPR) program under the UGA Office of Instruction, which connects undergraduate students with faculty-led, interdisciplinary research teams over multiple semesters. The program also advances UGA’s Experiential Learning initiative, a university-wide requirement that ensures every student gains hands-on experience before graduation. By engaging directly in long-term projects, students gain the opportunity to tackle complex, real-world challenges while advancing cutting-edge faculty research.

The agrivoltaics team is pushing its work further by seeking long-term funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Collaborations with the Georgia Public Service Commission, local utilities, and industry partners are also expanding the research footprint. Plans are underway to establish additional agrivoltaic research sites across the state, allowing students to conduct experiments in live operational settings where science, agriculture, and energy converge.

What makes this student work especially distinctive is its applied, collaborative nature. Students aren’t simply learning in classrooms; they are designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and sharing their findings with operational Georgia solar farms to help transform the way land is used for both farming and energy.

UGA’s investment in agrivoltaics underscores the university’s broader mission to connect discovery with application. By contributing valuable data on ecosystem health and biodiversity on solar farms, students are helping the industry move toward a future where farming and clean energy flourish side by side.

Video courtesy of Silicon Ranch
Unless noted all photography courtesy of Silicon Ranch