Exploring a next-level ecosystem
As a result of our ongoing, interdisciplinary research, we believe that secure, sustainable agriculture and energy production can occupy the same place—and both can benefit. Check out more of the work we do by reading about our facilities and demonstration sites, and accessing our fact sheets, white papers, publications, and more.
Our Mission
There are growing demands for food and renewable energy. Illinois, Arizona, and Colorado, among many others, are seeing increased photovoltaic deployment, and these regions also have strong agricultural communities. The SCAPES Research Team aims to reducethe competition for land by determining how to efficiently co-locate photovoltaic and agricultural systems in a variety of different biogeographical regions.
Additionally, water resources in the West are dwindling. Our research seeks to maximize water utilization and management in agrivoltaic systems by integrating climate-smart agricultural practices into our systems. Early results suggest that agrivoltaic systems can reduce the amount of water used for irrigation and can help direct rainfall to where it’s most needed.
We need regionally-derived solutions to make widespread agrivoltaic deployment effective. Much of the existing research is done at case-study sites across the world, so the opportunity to do a study that spans multiple climates is an exciting one.
Through our cross-country collaboration and coordination of measurements, modeling, and economic analysis, the SCAPES Research Team will seek regionally-derived sustainable solutions.
OutreachOur Goals
Our research team has four primary tasks:
- Coordinate the design of a suite of experimental agrivoltaic arrays and measurement systems across regions
- Determine crop and photovoltaic performance within an integrated agrivoltaic system
- Incorporate regional results into an integrated model that is capable of conducting structural, electrical, thermal, agricultural, water management, and economic outcomes
- Integrate stakeholder perceptions of agrivoltaic system design and share model outputs through open-source tools for informing planning and development
Research Teams
The SCAPES Research Team is led by Greg Barron-Gafford.
Our agrivoltaics research is split up into three branches: Crop Physiology, Solar Panels, and Modeling
Crop Physiology

Alan Knapp
Professor of Biology Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
Nuria Gomez-Casanovas
Visiting Research Specialist at the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
D.K. Lee
Professor of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Bruce Branham
Professor of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Evan DeLucia
Arends Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Carl Bernacchi
USDA Agricultural Research Service Plant Physiologist
Greg Barron-Gafford
Professor of Earth System Science and Director of Food, Energy, and Water Resilient SystemsSolar Panels

Nenad Miljkovic
Associate Professor of Mechanical Science & Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Alan Knapp
Professor of Biology Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
Carl Bernacchi
USDA Agricultural Research Service Plant Physiologist
Greg Barron-Gafford
Professor of Earth System Science and Director of Food, Energy, and Water Resilient SystemsModeling

Jordan Macknick
Environmental Science Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Ruiqing Miao
Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology, Auburn University
Bin Peng
Assistant Professor, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Kaiyu Guan
Associate Professor of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign