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Solar Research at Agricultural Experiment Stations

Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), with support from NYSERDA, is working to develop and construct agrivoltaics at Agricultural Experiment Station sites in the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes regions. These long-term research sites will study the dual use of land for solar energy generation and agricultural production across a range of crops and growing conditions relevant to New York State farmers.

Key Takeaways

NYSERDA is supporting Cornell CALS in building agrivoltaic research installations at two Agricultural Experiment Station sites
Research will cover a wide range of crops, growing conditions, and solar array configurations
Sites will generate on-site renewable electricity while advancing agricultural science
A third site at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva is under evaluation
NYSERDA and CALS collaborate with Cornell Cooperative Extension's large network of professionals to ensure the research can be directly applied by farmers to their benefit

Why Agricultural Experiment Stations?

Agricultural Experiment Stations provide controlled, long-term research environments that allow scientists to study complex interactions between crops, soil, climate, and farming practices over time. By building agrivoltaics at these stations, Cornell and NYSERDA can generate rigorous, peer-reviewed data on how solar energy systems affect—and can be optimized for—a wide range of agricultural uses specific to New York's growing regions and farming economy.

The findings produced at these stations will be directly relevant to New York farmers, solar developers, and policymakers working to expand responsible agrivoltaic development across the State.

NYSERDA Funded Agrivoltaics at Ag Experiment Stations

CALS Hudson Valley Research Lab — Highland, NY

Located in the hamlet of Highland in the Hudson Valley, this site will feature a solar array ranging from 150 to 300 kilowatts installed above a high-density apple orchard. Specialized sensors and controls will allow growers to dynamically adjust solar panels to optimize light and shading for the orchard beneath, and to provide active crop protection during frost and hail events—a potentially transformative application of agrivoltaic technology for fruit growers.

Electricity generated by the solar array will power research lab operations, with surplus energy supplied to the local electric grid.

Primary research focus: High-density orchard management, solar panel manipulation for crop optimization, frost and hail protection

Cornell University Campus — Ithaca, NY

A ground mounted solar tracking array ranging between 450 to 900 kilowatts will be constructed on the Cornell University campus in the town of Ithaca. The installation is designed to simulate a variety of solar array configurations within a single site, allowing researchers to study a wide range of variables and designs simultaneously.

Plantings within the array will include traditional annual vegetables, field crops, and perennial forage crops, including those relevant to the dairy industry. Research will span multiple disciplines including plant genetics, soil health, and water management strategies associated with agrivoltaic systems. Electricity produced will feed into Cornell's campus electric grid.

Primary research focus: Annual and perennial crop production, plant genetics, soil health, water management, multi-configuration array design

Research Priorities

Across all experiment station sites, Cornell's agrivoltaic research program will advance understanding of:

Crop compatibility. Identifying which crops and orchard systems perform well under various agrivoltaic configurations
Panel optimization. Determining how panel height, spacing, tilt, tracking, and dynamic adjustment affect both energy yield and agricultural outcomes
Soil and water dynamics. Measuring how solar arrays influence soil health, moisture retention, and water management needs
Climate resilience. Evaluating whether agrivoltaic systems can provide meaningful protection from frost, hail, and heat stress events
Renewable energy generation. Documenting real-world energy production from agricultural land under active farming conditions

Connection to New York's Clean Energy Transition

New York State must significantly expand its solar energy capacity as part of its clean energy transition. At the same time, protecting the viability of New York's agricultural sector—and the farmland that supports it—is a stated priority for the State.

Long-term agrivoltaic research at Cornell's Agricultural Experiment Stations provides the scientific foundation needed to ensure solar development and farming can grow together, generating reliable data that farmers, developers, and regulators can trust when making land-use decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Agricultural Experiment Station?

Agricultural Experiment Stations are long-term research facilities operated by land-grant universities like Cornell to study crops, soil, farming practices, and agricultural technology under controlled, scientifically monitored conditions. Their findings are designed to be directly applicable to working farmers and the broader agricultural industry.

Why is Cornell conducting agrivoltaic research at Experiment Stations?

Experiment Stations provide the controlled, long-term research environment needed to generate rigorous, peer-reviewed data on how solar arrays interact with specific crops, soil conditions, and growing systems. Siting agrivoltaic research at these stations ensures findings are scientifically credible and directly relevant to New York farmers and growing conditions.

What crops and farming systems are being studied?

Research across the three sites is anticipated to span high-density apple orchards, traditional annual vegetables, field crops, and perennial forage crops. The Geneva site at Cornell AgriTech is still under evaluation and may expand the range of crops and systems studied.

Can solar panels really protect crops from frost and hail?

Promising research has indeed demonstrated this elsewhere, and the Hudson Valley site is specifically designed to test this in NY for orchards. Specialized sensors and controls allow panels to be dynamically repositioned to shield the orchard below during frost and hail events—a potentially significant application for fruit growers in New York who face increasing climate variability.

Will the solar arrays at these sites generate usable electricity?

Yes. The Hudson Valley array will power on-site research lab operations with surplus energy supplied to the local grid. The Ithaca campus array will feed directly into Cornell's campus electric grid. Both sites are designed to function as real energy-producing systems, not just research installations.

Who will have access to the research findings?

Cornell's agrivoltaic research program is designed for broad public access. Findings, data, and tools will be shared through Cornell's agrivoltaics program and are intended to be useful to New York farmers, solar developers, policymakers, and researchers. Visit Cornell CALS Agrivoltaics for updates.

How does this research connect to NYSERDA's broader agrivoltaic program?

These Experiment Station sites are part of NYSERDA's statewide agrivoltaic research initiative, which also includes four competitively selected farm-based demonstration projects across New York. Together, the station research and the farm demonstrations are building a comprehensive evidence base for agrivoltaic development in New York State.

How do these projects support New York's clean energy goals?

Each installation will generate renewable electricity from agricultural land while keeping that land in active agricultural production.

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