CAREER: A framework for assessing agrivoltaic technical scalability in the US

NSF Award Search · 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $599,892 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Agrivoltaic systems use the same parcel of land for agricultural (crop or livestock) production and solar photovoltaic electricity generation. This CAREER project will develop modeling tools needed to evaluate the sustainability and scalability of agrivoltaic systems across major agricultural regions of the United States. The project will combine field data, modeling, and design to identify how configurations of agrivoltaic systems affect crop yield and quality, land use efficiency, and electricity generation costs. The project will provide a large-scale assessment of feasibility for multiple key cropping and livestock systems using compatible agrivoltaics system designs. The project will provide opportunities for undergraduates to participate in the research, and it will integrate training in research tools into undergraduate courses. The project will create publicly accessible online tools to communicate agrivoltaic design trade-offs and synergies. The project will also develop crop-specific outreach materials to support farmer decision-making. This project will integrate solar engineering, vegetation, and techno-economic modeling in a unified open-source modeling and design framework to quantify food-energy trade-offs, co-benefits, and land use efficiencies. The central contribution will be an open-source modeling architecture that links spatial and temporal radiation dynamics, energy system design, and crop responses to shading. This framework will enable systematic

Key facts

NSF award ID
2543822
Awardee
University of California-Santa Barbara (CA)
SAM.gov UEI
G9QBQDH39DF4
PI
Grace C Wu
Primary program
01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
CAREER-Faculty Erly Career Dev
Estimated total
$599,892
Funds obligated
$599,892
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
07/01/2026 → 06/30/2031