KGS to explore on-farm integration of solar energy, water management

LAWRENCE –– Kansas Geological Survey scientists have been awarded nearly $900,000 in grants to spearhead the development of an innovative technology system that will leverage underused corners of farm fields to generate energy and collect water.

The KGS project proposes a solar recharge system: an array of solar panels outfitted with rain collection gutters that will expedite the process of directing rainwater into underground reserves so that more water is available to farmers. The panels will be installed on the parts of a field a center-pivot irrigation system doesn’t reach.

“Our vision is that we can sidestep the growing competition for land between farms and renewable energy by focusing the solar arrays in the nonirrigated corners of fields,” said Sam Zipper, assistant scientist at the KGS, assistant professor in the KU Department of Geology and the project’s principal investigator. Zipper anticipates the arrays will provide economic, energy and hydrological benefits to farms.

The project will explore how agriculture and renewable energy can be integrated to support both crop productivity and water conservation. Groundwater pumping for crop irrigation has resulted in falling water levels in the state’s aquifers, especially in western Kansas, where the solar recharge project will be implemented.

“If this project is successful, it could be an energy, water and economic win-win-win for farms across the Midwest, and we hope to build additional partnerships to start testing these types of systems across the region,” Zipper said.

The project is in the design phase. Zipper said the goal is to have the solar recharge system operational by the spring 2025 growing season. The team has partnered with farmers, local electrical utilities and renewable energy companies to co-develop a system that will work within the current utility regulatory framework.

Team members are collecting field measurements, such as the rate at which water infiltrates soil, that they can combine with historical data on groundwater levels, climate and energy usage to tailor their project design to the unique conditions of western Kansas.

“No successful project starts without first turning to the past to gather a better understanding of the future,” said project coordinator Hanna Szydlowski.

The solar recharge project is being developed through an $881,526 grant awarded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research’s Seeding Solutions program, which supports research that explores innovative agriculture management and food supply solutions. Matching funds come from the KGS, KU, Kansas State University, Michigan State University and Wheatland Electric Cooperative.

For more information, contact Sam Zipper, samzipper@ku.edu, 785-864-0364

The Kansas Geological Survey is a nonregulatory research and service division of KU. KGS scientists study and provide information about the state’s geologic resources and hazards, including groundwater, oil and natural gas, rocks and minerals, and earthquakes.