photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Remains of the fall corn harvest are shown in a field near the Ottawa Co-op grain elevators at Midland Junction in northern Douglas County on Dec. 16, 2024. County commissioners this week are scheduled to consider a plan for how agriculture activity and solar panels could co-exist in the area around Midland Junction.

Sheep and solar may go hand-in-hand in Douglas County, according to a new plan for a large solar farm near Midland Junction north of North Lawrence.

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday will consider approving an “agrivoltaics” plan for the Kansas Sky Energy Center solar project. The plan outlines practices for how hundreds of acres of land currently used for row crop agriculture could house solar panels but also still be used for some agricultural purposes.

Among the plan’s key recommendations is that the land around and beneath the solar panels be planted with a mix of grasses hearty in Kansas, and that sheep be allowed to graze on parts of the property because their smaller size will allow them to access the land below the solar panels.

The concept of agrivoltaics has been a key one to both supporters and opponents of the solar farm project. Supporters of the Kansas Sky Energy Project, a solar farm proposing to install approximately 8 million square feet of solar panels on farmland north of North Lawrence, argue that the initiative is crucial for increasing Lawrence’s renewable energy production and combating climate change. However, opponents have said that it will remove too much valuable agricultural land from production.

photo by: Screenshot

The agrivoltaics activities for the Kansas Sky Energy project will occur in three phases from pre-construction past decommission and reclamation.

With these concerns from the public, the county commissioners have asked for a strong agrivoltaics plan for the Kansas Sky Energy Center project, but such a plan was not ready when the conditional use permit for the solar project was voted on in April. The same holds true for the stormwater management plan. However, both plans will have public hearings at Wednesday’s business meeting.

The agrivoltaics plan outlines a strategy to manage the soil and vegetation within the project area, ensuring that it can “easily return to cultivation after decommissioning.” Currently, 95% of the 1,105.3-acre project area is dedicated to growing crops such as corn and soybeans. The aim of this plan is to allow the land to revert to agricultural use if the solar panels are no longer in place.

Agrivoltaics is still a “nascent business model” for both farmers and solar energy companies, the U.S. Department of Energy has said. While the Department of Energy has said the benefits of agrivoltaics could be substantial for both farmers and solar companies, the department has said more research is needed on the concept.

A 2023 blog by the department’s Solar Energy Technologies Office listed questions about “cost, worker safety, liability, and other business, legal and regulatory issues” as topics that need to be further researched before the concept can be more widely used in the solar industry.

According to the Douglas County plan up for consideration on Wednesday, there will be three agrivoltaics phases, which will span from before the project begins construction to the end of project’s operations.

The project aims to establish permanent perennial vegetation after construction is completed, which, as outlined in the plan, is a crucial first step for implementing agrivoltaics. The proposed seed mixes consist of plants that grow low to the ground and are suited for dry to moderately wet conditions. These plants can tolerate both full sun and shade, enabling them to thrive between and beneath the solar panel rows.

The permanent seed mixes will be in alignment with Kansas native and naturalized species and the requirements developed in the 2020 Nationwide Monarch Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances, a voluntary agreement to protect the monarch butterfly and other pollinators. The seeding locations will be determined by the final approved design as reflected in the approved site plan.

photo by: Screenshot

A vegetation map outlining the first two phases of agrivoltaics for the Kansas Sky Energy project.

The second phase will focus on the management of vegetation in the area, starting with mechanical methods such as mowing, herbicide application, and other management practices. While some areas of the project will always require mechanical mowing or weed trimming, long-term management could include, but is not limited to, sheep grazing and farming outside the project’s fenced area. The plan suggests that sheep are the ideal livestock for grazing under the panels and racking equipment due to their small size. This phase will begin after construction and continue for the duration of the project’s life.

The third phase, which begins after construction and continues throughout the life of the conditional use permit, aims to leverage various resources and processes to promote and integrate additional agrivoltaic activities, research, and concepts. This phase also emphasizes Evergy’s plan to collaborate with The Nature Conservancy, TNC, to explore potential agrivoltaic applications. These may include specialty crops, perennial agriculture, the promotion of diverse vegetation types, and other research opportunities.

A part of this collaboration is the potential establishment of a $250,000 agrivoltaics fund – which includes a $100,000 commitment from renewable energy company Savion, LLC, and a $150,000 commitment from Evergy. The agrivoltaics fund will be established prior to the completion of construction of the project, and will be available to award grants to awardees and other uses deemed worthwhile by TNC or an agrivoltaics advisory board, comprised of stakeholders representing at least Douglas County, TNC, Evergy, and may also include representatives from local agriculture, industry experts and researchers.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Remains of the fall corn harvest are shown in a field near Midland Junction in northern Douglas County on Dec. 16, 2024. The Lawrence Energy Center, a coal-fired power plant, is shown in the background. County commissioners this week are scheduled to consider a plan for how agriculture activity and solar panels could co-exist in the area around Midland Junction.

As the Journal-World reported, county officials stated in October that a vote on the two plans would be held before the end of the year. This announcement occurred during the campaign season, which resulted in the election of two new commissioners, Gene Dorsey and Erica Anderson, who will assume office in January.

These incoming commissioners will not be part of the vote on the plans. Both Dorsey and Anderson previously told the Journal-World that the decision should be made after they join the commission next month.

The agrivoltaics plan is one of two key plans that must receive County Commission approval before the Kansas Sky Energy Center project can move forward. The other is a stormwater management plan, which examines how rainwater runoff from the solar panels can be controlled so as to not flow off the solar farm site and into North Lawrence and other areas that are susceptible to flooding.

As the Journal-World reported last week, the stormwater plan also will be up for approval at Wednesday’s County Commission meeting. Douglas County commissioners are scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Public Works/Zoning and Codes Building, 3755 E. 25th St. The meeting will also be available by Zoom.

photo by: Contributed

A Stan Herd earthwork, previously visible from the north side of Interstate 70 between East 1500 and East 1600 roads, calls for the relocation of the Kansas Sky Energy Center project. The utility-scale solar facility is proposed for 1,105 acres in the Midland Junction area, about 2.5 miles north of the North Lawrence interchange, and opponents of the project have said the high-quality farmland that makes up some of the project area is not a suitable location.