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Field-Scale Impacts to Water, Carbon, and Productivity in an Agrivoltaics Array: Initial Results and Data


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Created: May 13, 2026 at 4:38 a.m. (UTC)
Last updated: May 13, 2026 at 7:54 p.m. (UTC)
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Abstract

Agrivoltaic performance and ecosystem impacts are understudied in humid temperate climates, especially across photovoltaic (PV) configurations. To address this gap, we established an agrivoltaic observatory in Wisconsin, USA, comparing an open-sky control with fixed-tilt and single-axis tracking arrays. Continuous radiation, eddy-covariance, soil moisture/temperature, and phenocam observations were paired with vegetation surveys across below-panel, dripline, and alley microhabitats. Clear-sky radiation showed that fixed-tilt panels created persistent below-panel and shaded-side diffuse-dominated light conditions, whereas tracking arrays redistributed shade through the day and increased under-row light. Across May–December 2025, soils in the fixed-tilt were driest at intermediate-to-deep depths, while the tracking maintained the highest deep soil moisture. Within the fixed-tilt, below-panel soils were coolest, yet also among the driest, indicating that throughfall exclusion outweighed reduced evaporative demand as a control on moisture dynamics. Driplines accumulated water at intermediate depths, consistent with rainfall and infiltration concentration along panel edges. Tracking reduced within-array heterogeneity and maintained deeper water storage by uniformly suppressing evapotranspiration through shifting shade. The array showed lower net CO2 uptake and evapotranspiration than control during June--October by 36% and 28%, respectively, alongside higher sensible heat fluxes and lower relative humidity. Flux differences increased after early-August mowing and herbicide application, suggesting vegetation management can rival microclimate in shaping first-year outcomes. Overall, humid-climate agrivoltaic systems form repeatable microhabitat mosaics rather than uniformly cooler or wetter conditions, with array geometry governing light limitation, rainfall redistribution, and vegetative impacts. Our dataset provides a baseline for multi-year evaluation of carbon, water, and productivity tradeoffs.

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Spatial

Coordinate System/Geographic Projection:
WGS 84 EPSG:4326
Coordinate Units:
Decimal degrees
Place/Area Name:
Kegonsa Research Campus
Longitude
-89.2924°
Latitude
42.9578°

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End Date:

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Credits

Funding Agencies

This resource was created using funding from the following sources:
Agency Name Award Title Award Number
United States Department of Energy None None
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation None None

How to Cite

Han, K., Mackin, H., Mather, E., Lawton, S., Thom, J., Desai, A. R., Kucharik, C. J., Loheide, S. P. (2026). Field-Scale Impacts to Water, Carbon, and Productivity in an Agrivoltaics Array: Initial Results and Data, HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/2b31a351be3f4fa08a9cf216617d44a0

This resource is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
CC-BY

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