Merheb et al. (2025)  Research on combining solar energy with agriculture (agrivoltaics) or natural vegetation (ecovoltaics) is growing rapidly. Using a data-driven approach, we synthesize available evidence of the potential synergies and trade-offs of implementing these multi-use landscapes and offer recommendations to move the field forward. We made it to the cover ! 

Dr. Ravi will be on sabbatical leave (2024-2025) and will be a visiting professor at the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy (Jan – Aug 2025). The research will focuse on the relationship between soil properties, grazing activities, and carbon sequestration potential in regions utilized for renewable energy (solar) projects. Understanding the role of site management and soil texture in carbon storage, particularly in regions where renewable energy sites are prevalent, is crucial for developing strategies that enhance carbon capture and mitigate the effects of climate change. The project aims to model carbon sequestration potential and hydrological benefits.

1. Merheb, C, et al., Effect of an Urban Agrivoltaics System on Various Crops in a Temperate Climate
2. Phuyal, P., et al., Poster Agrivoltaics for Socioeconomic and Environmental Co-benefits in Geographically Isolated Agrarian Communities in Nepal 
3. Merheb, M., et al.,Poster A Learning Community  Model Focused on Agrivoltaic Research (Education Section Session)
4. Finnegan, M et al., Poster On the Effect of Biochar Application on the Hydraulic Properties of Salt-affected Green Stormwater Infrastructure
5. Ravi, S., Particulate Matter Emissions from Agricultural Soils Amended with Biosolids and Biochar: A Potential Health Risk (Invited)
6. Khatei, G. et al., On the Differential Effects of Salinity and Sodicity on Particulate Emissions from Agricultural Soils
7. Li J. et al., Fire and human-induced disturbance to the shrub-grass dominance in desert grasslands: What the recovery pace and processes hold?

Contributed Session:
Convener & Chair: Sujith Ravi, Lixin Wang
H31B – Advances in Ecohydrology of Water-Limited Environments I Oral
H32B – Advances in Ecohydrology of Water-Limited Environments II Oral
H33B – Advances in Ecohydrology of Water-Limited Environments III Poster

Contributed Session:

GC14C – Dual-Use Agrivoltaics for Climate-Resilient Landscapes and Food-Energy-Water Security II Oral
Conveners: Chong-Seok Choi, Caroline Merheb

GC065 – Dual-Use: Agrivoltaics for Climate-Resilient Landscapes and Food-Energy-Water Security
Conveners: Chong-Seok Choi, Caroline Merheb

New Science News documentary by Luke Groskin, featuring our labs research on agrivoltaics/multi use solar. Over the past decade, we studied the co-location of solar energy with crops/biofuels, grazing and/or pollinator-friendly native plants at multiple sites around the world, and the highlighted the environmental and socio-economic co-benefits and trade-offs.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/solar-agriculture-farming-argivoltaic

Congratulations Caroline !

Caroline Merheb (PhD) is the winner of the student design competition as part of The AgriVoltaics World Conference 2024 The purpose of this competition was to develop innovate agrivoltaic design concepts that address community sustainability challenges across the food-energy-water nexus. Caroline’s design for an urban setting is aimed at (1) enhancing access to fresh food in low-income areas/food deserts, (2) reducing surface temperatures and urban heat islands, and (3) increasing green community spaces and improving the urban aesthetics. The AgriVoltaics World Conference, now in its 5th year and spanning all five continents, provides high-level scientific exchange and great networking opportunities. This is the first time this meeting is held in the US, hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Denver, Colorado (11-13 June).

Leonard, J., S. Ravi and S. K. Mohanty, (2024) Preferential Emission of Microplastics from Biosolid-Applied Agricultural Soils: Field Evidence and Theoretical Framework, Environmental Science & Technology Lett. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00850

Featured on the front page of Los Angeles Times !

*Media Coverage:  Los Angeles Times, American Chemical Society (ACS Press Room), PÚLICO, Scienmag, WPN, MSN, EcoWatch, ScienceDaily, AAAS EurekaAlert, Science News Explores, Phys.Org

Can the the implementation of agrivoltaics in vacant urban spaces provide additional environmental and socioeconomic benefits, including buffering heat stress, extending seasonal range limits of some crops, storm water management and the potential to address food deserts? Caroline Merheb‘s research is case in point. Our extensive sensor network monitors around 50 physical variables at the TU agrivoltaic test site, including multiple sensors to track the spatial and temporal distribution of light (direct, PAR, albedo), soil moisture, air/soil temperature, panel temperature, wind dynamics, and electricity generation

Congratulations Dr. Chong Seok Choi and Rebecca Bertel (ES major) ! New publication in Applied Energy. Multi-year multi-site evaluation of different site management strategies at utility scale solar energy sites. This study highlights the need for evaluating multiple ecosystem services at solar sites to identify site-specific dominant environmental co-benefits in co-located systems

Khatei, K., T. Rinaldo, R. S. Van Pelt, P. D’Odorico and S. Ravi (2024), Wind erodibility and particulate matter emissions of salt-affected soils: The case of dry soils in a low humidity atmosphere, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, https://doi. org/10.1029/2023JD039576

Burger, W. J., R. S. Van Pelt, D. E. Grandstaff, G. Wang, T. T. Sankey, J. Li, J. Sankey and S. Ravi (2023). Multi-year tracing of spatial and temporal dynamics of post-fire aeolian sediment transport using rare Earth elements provide insights into grassland management. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 128, e2023JF007274. https://doi. org/10.1029/2023JF007274

* Highlighted by the American Geophysical Union AGU-EoS.  Editors highlights: by Okin et al. (2024) Rare earth element tracers provide insight into how fire and sediment transport influence the vegetation state of the world’s drylands.