How Solar and Agriculture Can Coexist & Thrive

Agrivoltaics – the practice of planting crops in the partial shade of raised racks of solar panels – is a heavily researched endeavor with broad applications. It is raising justified expectations among farmers to add a lucrative income stream producing clean power while simultaneously increasing yields for certain cash crops.

Learn more about the potential for agrivoltaics in Colorado, nationally, and abroad. The event is in person at the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden with livestream options available for remote viewing.

About Our Speaker

Sam Anderson

Sam Anderson, CEM, is the Energy Specialist and Program Manager for the ACRE3 energy grants program at the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Sam began working as an energy engineer in 1999, conducting extensive research and analysis and shaping policy on a wide array of renewable energy, biofuels, and energy efficiency technologies. He worked as a project engineer and consultant between 2004 and 2014, designing and installing numerous on-farm energy projects and developing energy efficiency incentive portfolios for major utilities. Sam started working in his current role at CDA in 2014, where he influences state energy policy and administers grants and technical assistance for on-farm energy projects across Colorado. Other project engineering experience includes energy-recovery hydropower, agrivoltaics, wind energy, solar thermal, energy storage, and various bio-energy technologies, including the cultivation and processing of various oilseed crops and the design, construction, and operation of biodiesel production facilities. Sam has also influenced changes in energy policy in the USDA and some of his work has been featured in numerous publications.

Sam obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in 1998. He has been registered as a Certified Energy Manager® (CEM #22458) since 2014.