The first cranberries have been harvested from bogs that feature two solar projects in Massachusetts — Black Cat Agrivoltaics Project in Plymouth and Ring Road Agrivoltaics Project in Kingston. The projects are owned by developer Greenbacker Renewables and were installed by Distributed Energy Infrastructure (DEI).
Cranberry farmer Iain Ward, who manages the bogs, was closely involved throughout design and construction to ensure that the sensitive wetland environment remained intact.
“The DEI team was phenomenal at understanding and adapting solar construction so that energy production could coexist without damage to the perennial cropping system,” he said. “These projects prove that with the right approach, dual-use solar can be applied to a wide variety of agricultural environments. If we can build over such challenging wetland areas and have successful harvests, we can build almost anywhere.”
Before the solar installations, the Black Cat and Ring Road cranberry bogs had become financially unviable and lay fallow for many years. The solar projects now provide the landowner with additional income through land leasing, making the bogs’ cultivation economically viable again. Ward is paid for agricultural management, in addition to his income from selling the cranberry crops.
“Building solar projects over active perennial wetland crops was an exciting challenge, and we’re thrilled to see the success of these harvests,” said Prateek Tare, EVP and co-founder of DEI. “Iain’s collaboration and input at every stage was essential for us to ensure a reliable, cost-effective build while safeguarding the productivity of these heritage bogs.”
The 1-MW Black Cat project features a 2.7-MWh energy storage system. The 4.4-MW Ring Road project is paired with a 13.5-MWh battery energy storage system.
Both projects were finalists for the North American Agrivoltaics Awards, and both Ward and DEI are founding members of the Solar & Farming Association (SAFA). SAFA is a coalition of organizations representing the interests of the agrivoltaics industry, including developers, agricultural producers, livestock producers, and affiliated organizations.
News item from DEI
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