Founder/President/CEO shares his AgriVoltaic Farming business model
AgriVoltaic Farming Systems (AVFS) came out of a vineyard project we are designing and plan to develop for ourselves. The goal was is to grow grapevines under a bifacial solar panel canopy to generate power for our winery operations, and power for our onsite Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG) systems, and related EV powered farm equipment. Surplus power would be sold into the local power grid for added revenue.
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Such a farming system could benefit millions by converting existing ag lands into power generators and make better use of these lands, while adding revenues for farmers or vineyards, and make these operations more sustainable. Our research showed that It could not only work for growing wine grapes, but may be a viable option for growing various citrus trees, avocados, mixed-berries, coffee beans, and even produce.
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To validate this model's true potential GridZero elected to incorporate a 20 acre research campus into its proposed Vineyard project, where we can conduct a long-term study to collect growth data and trends of plant growth under a canopy vs open air. Our goal is to utilize a single 200' x 300' canopy (60,000 SF) that can generate almost 1 MW of power, and four 200' x 200' - 40,000 SF canopies generaing over 700 Watts, as seen in the image below.
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The image seen here is set on an existing 65 acre parcel, although no land has yet be acquired for this project. The added value is that the power generated will be adequate to power enough AWG systems that will convert humidity into water for the entire farming and vineyard operations.
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​An AVFS canopy can turn any small vineyard or farm into a multi-MegaWatt power resource. In this design we alkso use one 40,000 SF canopy for a covered parking area for tasting roiom guests and visitors.​
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Our proposed vineyard project will incorporate Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) to capture power at night whenever the wind blows. The site will have adequate energy storage to mantain ongoing 24/7 operations for our vertical indoor farms, planned for the larger canopy building.
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The project will also incoporate SmartFlower solar systems throughout mainly for visual display purposes. These are well suited for residential and other vineyard settings, so this project will serve as an active showroom of working Smartflower systems. Some come with built in energy storage, while most are linked together with a more universal battery system. As each case or location is unique, we offer a site evaluation service to determine the best systems to use for our clients. With proper fundiung, we hope to have our vineyard underway by late 2025.
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