Community solar company Chaberton Energy is hoping to engage Maryland farmers to co-locate agricultural activities on PV project sites. Chaberton is issuing two requests for proposal (RFPs) for 27 acres of land for agrivoltaic purposes in Montgomery County.
Credit: Chaberton Energy
The farmers will have access to the land at no cost and will be compensated for vegetation management. Chaberton is working with Okovate Sustainable Energy to solicit and evaluate proposals from farmers interested in using the land under and between the projects’ rows of solar panels for crop farming or animal grazing.
“These projects are among Montgomery County’s first agrivoltaics projects,” said Ryan Boswell, VP of development for Chaberton Energy. “Everybody benefits when farmers, communities, local governments and energy developers work together toward a shared set of goals.”
Farmers interested in applying should develop tailored farming plans for each site, which will require review from the Montgomery County Office of Agriculture.
“Together we’re building out the energy network we need while keeping agricultural land productive,” said Miles Braxton, CEO and co-founder of Okovate. “This is an opportunity to provide land access to local farmers looking to expand or start their operations, while also leasing land for solar that helps meet the growing energy demand.”
Chaberton’s Sugarloaf project in Dickerson will be 5.23 MW and built across 16 of 19 acres on a site, with a three-acre buffer zone. Approximately 10 acres of land in between solar panel rows and a total of 13 acres are available for agricultural use. The Ramiere project in Poolesville is 3.88 MW spanning 11 acres, with approximately eight acres covered by the solar array and a 2-acre buffer zone. Approximately five acres of land in between solar panel rows and a total of seven acres are available for agricultural use.
Project information and application forms are available here.
News item from Chaberton Energy
