EAST LANSING, Mich. – Researchers at Michigan State University will study the effects on soil health, groundwater, and ecosystems of installing solar panels among farmlands.

A five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation will support a project by MSU scientists to build a first-of-its-kind outdoor lab to study how solar panels placed alongside crops might save water, improve soil health and support ecosystems.

The idea is to show how this method could keep farms producing agricultural commodities and perhaps even boost revenues for farmers.

Anthony Kendall , assistant professor of MSU’s earth and environmental sciences department, said the experiments and learning that will happen at the new lab are crucial as solar energy becomes more widely used worldwide.

“Thi

See Full Page