GHG Emissions, Industrial, Solar  -  October 31, 2024

Our Table Cooperative Farm Adds Solar

The Our Table Cooperative Farm in Sherwood, Oregon, will add a solar array to help the farm grow its crops.

The Lettuce Shine solar project is the first agrivoltaics microgrid in the U.S. and is funded partly by Portland General Electric customers through PGE’s Renewable Development Fund, according to a statement.

The project will allow the farm to grow lettuce and other heat-sensitive crops like lettuce under elevated, moving solar panels from Stracker Solar. 

"People like to eat salad year-round,” said Narendra Varma, founder of Our Table Cooperative Farm, “but Oregon summers are getting hotter and hotter, making it almost impossible to grow lettuce here without shade. We are grateful to PGE’s Renewable Development Fund, made possible by PGE Green Future customers, for its generous grant, which will allow us to tackle this climate change challenge and enable OSU to provide the scientific research that we and other farmers can use.”

The solar panels will provide shade while also providing the farm with nearly all its annual electricity usage from the sun.

This effort will incorporate critical research from the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences that aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how the array will enhance crop production. The project’s unique design not only maximizes solar power generation but also offers shade to cool crops below. 

With the inclusion of battery storage from Sol-Ark, Lettuce Shine ensures an uninterrupted food supply even during natural disasters, highlighting its role in promoting resilience and sustainable agriculture practices in the local community.