SCAPES Open House 4

SCAPES Virtual Open House – Agrivoltaics in Action

July 16, 2025

In this SCAPES Virtual Open House, hosted by the University of Illinois and supported by USDA-NIFA, attendees heard firsthand how agrivoltaics is taking root across the U.S.

Byron Kominek (Executive Director, Jack’s Solar Garden) shared lessons from transforming his family farm into the largest agrivoltaic research site in the country.

“Anybody that says things don’t grow in the shade — don’t listen to it. Things grow with partial shade, for sure.” — Byron Kominek
“Build right for tomorrow. These systems will be here for decades, so design them to support agriculture for the long haul.” — Byron Kominek

Christopher Kline (Development Manager, Doral Renewables) discussed Mammoth Solar — the largest solar project in the Western Hemisphere — and its potential to integrate agriculture into large-scale clean energy development.

“At Mammoth Solar, we’re looking at how agriculture can fit into one of the largest solar projects in the world. The scale is different, but the goal is the same — making clean energy and farming work together.” — Christopher Kline

Participants appreciated the practical insights, from small-scale vegetable production to utility-scale integration, and valued hearing directly from people implementing agrivoltaics in the field.

🎥 Watch the recording to see how real people are making agrivoltaics work — and where the future is headed.