This event, hosted by CERG (Clean Energy Research Group, SFU) in partnership with Double Barrel Vineyards / Okanagan Hills Estate Winery, introduces agrivoltaics as a viable path for climate resilience and farm viability in B.C.

With back-to-back years of devastating weather, agrivoltaics offers a model for crop protection, renewable energy, and improved water and energy efficiency without sacrificing existing farmland.

Agrivoltaics is the practice of integrating solar panel systems overtop farm field production to create a dual-yield of both electrical power and agriculture. Current research demonstrates that this pairing of agriculture with energy systems can help:

• preserve farmland while maximizing its efficiency through dual use
• create green jobs in rural farming communities
• reduce drought and hail damage from climate change on our agriculture sector
• transition the agriculture industry from fossil fuels to renewable energy
• stimulate the economy through decentralized revenue generation

Goals for the event:

• Share lessons from BC’s first large-scale agrivoltaics initiative at Double Barrel Vineyards
• Discuss opportunities and barriers for agrivoltaics adoption in B.C.’s agricultural and policy landscapes
• Learn about solar technology and its interaction with agrivoltaics and agrivoltaic greenhouses
• Facilitate dialogue among farmers, Okanagan residents, First Nations members, researchers, and policymakers

Speakers:

Claude Mindorff & Jeremey Dresner, Pace Canada – Leads on vineyard project – Agrivoltaics in practice

Omri Haiven, Clean Energy Research Group (CERG/SFU) – Policy and community context

Dr. Vincenzo Pecunia, SFU School of Sustainable Energy Engineering – Technical insights

—Hybrid event—

REGISTER TODAY