U of A Professor Featured on Cover of Irrigation Leader
The October 7, 2025, Irrigation Leader “Arizona Edition” featured an interview with U of A Professor Greg Barron-Gafford, who also serves as the Associate Director of the School Garden Workshop and Director of Food, Energy, and Water Resilience Solutions for Biosphere 2. Appropriately titled “Greg Barron-Gafford: Why Agrivoltaics Is a Win-Win for Food Production and Solar Energy,” the interview covers the benefits of agrivoltaics, which is the simultaneous use of land for agricultural production and solar energy generation. Placing solar panels over plants solves several problems exacerbated by water and energy shortages. The shade created by the panels reduces heat stress and evaporation among crops in the summer, allowing irrigation reduction without sacrificing food production. Solar arrays also benefit from this arrangement; the plants’ transpiration lowers the temperature of the solar arrays by as much as eight degrees Fahrenheit, improving their performance. In the winter, the solar panels help extend the growing season by protecting crops from mild freezes, potentially enabling agrivoltaics farmers to bring vegetables to market beyond the typical timeframe of other farmers.
In response to being asked “What is your vision for the future?” Barron-Gafford details how over the last decade, researchers have shown that agrivoltaics has huge potential across the US and globe for optimizing water, food, and energy consumption. He describes how the U of A agrivoltaics team (SALSA) has introduced this mutually beneficial method to farmers in Colorado and East Africa, helping to optimize crop yields with reduced water use amid changing climate conditions. After listing the many benefits of agrivoltaics, Barron-Gafford notes, “The question is, ‘Why isn’t everybody doing it?’” He then explains that there are several obstacles to widespread implementation related to zoning laws and public opinion. Barron-Gafford offers solutions to these challenges, one of which is creating community gardens or installations, and he expresses hope for implementing agrivoltaics in this changing global landscape.