ASGA Call 59: Agrivoltaics and Solar Development that Benefits Communities and Ecosystems with Brian Ross, Great Plains Institute

October 5, 2022 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm EDT

The ongoing large-scale expansion of solar development will require installing solar on substantial acreage across the U.S. Addressing local concerns over the potential loss of farmland and local siting and regulatory issues represent major challenges to solar’s expansion.

The Great Plains Institute’s (GPI) Brian Ross has been leading research on designing solar development in order to address local concerns by optimizing the co-benefits solar developments offer communities. For this month’s webinar, Brian will discuss GPI’s research into how integrating agriculture with solar can reduce barriers to large-scale solar site development and how the ecosystem’s benefits of solar can help address community concerns. This includes using smart siting to increase groundwater protection, with the potential for increasing the tax base and landowner returns, as well as habitat restoration and/or enhancement. Brian will also touch on GPI’s work to engage local community stakeholders on solar’s co-benefits.

CleanShot 2022 09 27 at 22.08.50 2x.png?ixlib=rails 4.2 — ASGA Call 59: Agrivoltaics and Solar Development that Benefits Communities and Ecosystems with Brian Ross, Great Plains Institute 1

Here are three short blog posts Brian has published on GPI’s research:

➡️ Solar, with Benefits! (Or, the Co-Benefits Approach to Solar Development)

➡️ Solar Plus: How Solar-Integrated Agriculture Could Reduce Barriers to Large-Scale Solar Deployment

➡️ Stormwater Management in Solar Projects: Barriers and Best Practices

Hosts: Caroline Owens, ASGA Board Member, and Kevin Richardson (ASGA)

About the Speakers

Brian Ross, AICP, LEED GA, is a Vice President at the Great Plains Institute, leading GPI’s renewable energy market transformation efforts in the Midwest and nationally. He has worked with dozens of local, regional, and state governments on climate and energy planning, policy and regulation. Brian currently leads multiple efforts at both the state and national level on integrating solar development with natural systems, community priorities, and agriculture business models.