--- url: 'https://sandboxsolar.com/services/agrivoltaics/' title: Agrivoltaics author: name: Sandbox Solar url: 'https://sandboxsolar.com/author/aidanmuir/' date: '2020-11-18T20:34:22+00:00' modified: '2026-05-19T23:35:08+00:00' type: page image: 'https://sandboxsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Springhillgreens-scaled.webp' published: true --- # Agrivoltaics Local Colorado Solar Company # Agrivoltaics: Where Solar Energy and Agriculture Meet Explore how Sandbox+ Solar is testing agrivoltaic systems, from bifacial fences to transparent arrays, to measure crop yield, soil health, and energy output across Colorado farmland. [Free Agrivoltaics Quote](#contact) ## What is Agrivoltaics? Sharing land between crops and solar panels Agrivoltaics is the practice of using the same land for both agriculture and solar energy production. By elevating photovoltaic arrays above active crops, the system creates shared benefits: panels shade plants and reduce evaporation, while vegetation cools the panels and improves their efficiency. The approach varies by climate, crop type, and terrain ranging from fixed elevated arrays to mobile or transparent configurations, but the core goal is the same: to generate clean electricity without taking farmland out of production. ![agrivoltaics in colorado sandbox solar](https://sandboxsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/sandbox-solar-agrivoltaics-tractor-1920x1080px.webp) ### The Intersection of Food, Energy, & Water The food-energy-water nexus describes how agricultural production, energy generation, and water use are interconnected on the same landscapes. Rather than managing these systems separately, researchers are studying how integrated designs like agrivoltaics can reveal how changes in one affect the others under real field conditions. ![Commercial Solar Services - InSitu Carport](https://sandboxsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Food-Icon3.png) #### Food Keeping agricultural lands in production & maintaining access to sustainable and nutritious food. ![Commercial Solar Services - InSitu Carport](https://sandboxsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Energy-Icon2.png) #### Energy Supplying the renewable energy demand for a growing population in urban and rural regions of the world. ![Commercial Solar Services - InSitu Carport](https://sandboxsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Water_Icon2.png) #### Water Reducing water consumption & maintaining clean water access for a growing population. ## An Agrivoltaics Mini Documentary Agrivoltaics, a novel approach combining agriculture and renewable energy, addresses food security and energy challenges without harming the environment. Adaptable to local contexts, it includes strategies like elevated solar panels in Kenya improving crop yields, and vertical systems in Norway preserving forests. Agrivoltaics promotes sustainable energy and enhances agriculture, potentially redefining land use, energy, and food production. In this mini documentary, **‘[Reharvesting the Sun](https://www.re-tv.org/articles/agrivoltaics)‘** by RE:TV, Sandbox Solar had some of its recent projects (listed below) featured as major developments towards achieving this goal. [](#) ## Colaborative Project Sites Field sites for data collection and technology testing Today, we see Agrivoltaics being applied worldwide in incredibly different and innovative ways. In some areas, agrivoltaics is already a well-established technology. However, the concept is still widely unknown in countries like the United States, with very few applications. **Sandbox Solar is helping to change that!** Alongside our partners, we installed multiple agrivoltaic arrays in the last two years here in Northern Colorado, while gathering and providing research for further deployment of the technology nationwide! **We are proud to be a part of the growth of Agrivoltaics in North America and excited about its effects on a more self-sufficient future.** [![Sandbox Solar CSU Agrivoltaics Testing Grounds](https://sandboxsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sandbox-Solar-CSU-Agrivoltaics-Testing-Grounds-14-no-logo.webp)](https://sandboxsolar.com/csu-agrivoltaics-testing-grounds/) ### Sandbox Solar Agrivoltaic Testing Grounds at CSU Sandbox Solar, Colorado State University, and other solar partners teamed up to create our very own [**Agrivoltaics Testing Grounds**](https://sandboxsolar.com/portfolio/csu-agrivoltaics-testing-grounds/) at CSU’s ARDEC South. With funding from the Colorado Department of Agriculture, this plot will be used for research and educational purposes for further deployment of Agrivoltaics nationwide. ** Click the button below to see live data being produced by the different arrays. ** [Read More](https://sandboxsolar.com/portfolio/csu-agrivoltaics-testing-grounds/) [ ### Nunn Semi-Arid Grassland Ecovoltaic Research Facility ](https://sandboxsolar.com/portfolio/semi-arid-grassland-research-center/) Advancing ecological preservation through innovative solar solutions. Our collaboration with Colorado State University explores the synergy between forage growth, moisture retention, plant physiology, and renewable energy production. [Read More](https://sandboxsolar.com/portfolio/semi-arid-grassland-research-center/) [](#) ![Colorado State University Agrivoltaics Over a Vineyard - Photo: Douglas Dean, Colorado State University Extension](https://sandboxsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Colorado-State-University-Agrivoltaic-Array-Over-A-Vineyard-1920x1280-1.webp) Photo: Douglas Dean, Colorado State University Extension ### Vineyard Agrivoltaics on Colorado's Western Slope At CSU’s Orchard Mesa Research Station, we installed a 100kW single-axis tracking array to power on-site operations and drive long-term ‘vitivoltaic’ research. The system will explore potential benefits including frost protection, water retention, hail mitigation, shade management, and changes in grape chemistry. ## AGRIVOLTAIC ARRAY TYPES Matching array design to crop type and site conditions Agrivoltaic systems vary by climate, crop selection, insolation, soil conditions, and available land area. The right configuration depends on how these variables interact at a specific site rather than on a universal design. ![agrivoltaic array types sandbox solar](https://sandboxsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/agrivoltaic-array-types.webp) [](#) ### Bifacial Solar Fence Agrivoltaics Spring Hill Greens is a local Fort Collins farm that strives to be entirely carbon-neutral. **So naturally, they would need an extensive solar system to generate sufficient power for their entire farm to be energy self-sufficient.** However, Spring Hill Greens required more land to support a conventional ground-mount solar array. What they needed was an **[agrivoltaic](https://sandboxsolar.com/agrivoltaics/)** solution. So they called their local agrivoltaic solar company, [**Sandbox Solar**](https://sandboxsolar.com/). [Read More](https://sandboxsolar.com/projects/spring-hill-greens-agrivoltaics-colorado/) ### Transparent Agrivoltaic Array [**Sandbox Solar**](https://sandboxsolar.com/) has an ongoing agrivoltaic research project in partnership with the [**Colorado State University Research Farm**](https://agsci.colostate.edu/research-and-engagement/research-centers/agricultural-research-development-and-education-center/about-ardec/) at ARDEC South. **Thanks to funding secured from the ****USDA SBIR grant, Sandbox Solar was able to install 9 separate agrivoltaic arrays.** These arrays test certain crop types with varying solar panel transparency to measure the results. Sandbox Solar and the CSU Department of Agriculture utilize this research for educational and practical implementation. [Read More](https://sandboxsolar.com/portfolio/csu-agrivoltaics-testing-grounds/) [](#) [](#) ### Mobile Agrivoltaics Array This [**Native Hill Farms**](https://www.nativehillfarm.com/) solar agrivoltaic array is quite unique! **Our local farmers wanted a way to integrate enough solar to power their entire farm but could not find a way without sacrificing precious fertile farming land!** We custom built this array to be able to slide beneath their green house allowing to them to transfer the area from one plot to another. By working with their existing agricultural practices we found a way to integrate solar in an efficient and innovative way. [Read More](https://sandboxsolar.com/projects/native-hill-farms-solar-agrivoltaics-16kw/) ### Rooftop Agrivoltaics Rooftop agrivoltaics is the co-location of solar panels (photovoltaics) and food production on rooftops. Combining green roofs with rooftop solar is still in its infancy, but these systems’ synergies are well documented. The plants benefit from the solar panels’ protection, and panel performance improves on warm days due to the evaporative cooling that the plants provide. Agrivoltaic systems are currently used in farm fields but taking this concept to a rooftop is still unique. [Read More](https://sandboxsolar.com/services/agrivoltaics/rooftop-agrivoltaics/) [](#) ## CONTACT US ## FREE QUOTE FORM - # Free Quote Form - * - - * - - - * - - * - * State * CO WY - * - Areas of Interest ResidentialCommercialBattery BackupEV ChargingExisting System ServiceDetach and ResetAgrivoltaicsHeat Pump - Existing System Documentation Browse FilesDrag and drop files here Choose a file Please attach a picture/s or PDF/s of your existing system including your inverter make/model Cancelof - * How'd you hear about us? * Referral Web Search Saw Our Team Employee Referral Social Media Newsletter NextDoor Ad EnergySage Demand IQ Other - Referral Name - Referral Email - Employee Name - Electric Service Provider Fort Collins Utilities Xcel Energy PVREA Longmont Utilities Loveland Light & Power United Power Other - Roof/Mount Type Roof - Comp Shingle Roof - Metal Roof - Tile Ground Mount Car Port Other - View utility bill and submit yearly kWh (kilowatt-hours). - Favorite Communication Method Email Phone Call Text Message - Utility Bill Browse FilesDrag and drop files here Choose a file Attaching a picture or PDF of your bill ensures accuracy of your consumption data. 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