Solar Farms Built Over Cranberry Bogs Yield First Agrivoltaic Harvests

Distributed Energy Infrastructure (DEI) has announced the successful harvest from two unique agrivoltaic projects located in Massachusetts. The Black Cat Agrivoltaics Project in Plymouth and the Ring Road Agrivoltaics Project in Kingston represent the first instance of agrivoltaic technology being applied to wetland environments for cranberry cultivation alongside solar energy production.

The projects, owned by Greenbacker Renewables and installed by DEI, involved close collaboration with cranberry farmer Iain Ward. His input was crucial to ensure the sensitive wetland ecosystems were preserved during construction and operation. Ward highlighted the success as proof that dual-use solar can be implemented in diverse agricultural settings, even in challenging wetland areas.

Agrivoltaic systems, or dual-use solar, aim to provide farmers with stable income streams while protecting agricultural land. The Black Cat and Ring Road cranberry bogs, which had previously become financially unviable, are now economically sustainable again through land lease agreements with the solar projects. This arrangement allows for continued agricultural management and crop sales.

The Black Cat project has a 1 MW capacity and includes a 500 kVA energy storage system. The Ring Road project features 4.4 MW of solar power paired with a 13.5 MWh battery energy storage system. These installations contribute to local grid resilience and support Massachusetts' clean energy initiatives, while also expanding the local tax base.