Make a difference
The HARVEST Research Project: Harnessing Agrivoltaics for Resilience, Viability, Equity, Sustainability, and Transformation supports the next generation of researchers working to solve the most persistent barriers in dual-use solar across the Great Lakes region and beyond. The HARVEST Research Project accelerates the adoption of agrivoltaics -> solar farming that supports food production, rural resilience, and clean energy.
Your support today powers two outcomes:
Graduate students gain the ability to work full-time on applied research during Summer 2026 session, with continued completion through spring 2027.
Farmers, solar developers, financiers, and insurers get the tools, models, and guidance they need to move forward confidently
“Building pathways for rural resilience and food production”
Why This Work Matters
Solar development is expanding across the U.S. and words like agrivoltaics, agrisolar, and solar grazing are becoming household topics. Farmers and developers alike are eager to participate but development has outpaced the evidence needed for:
insurer confidence
lender underwriting
equitable farmer participation
vegetation management cost modeling
scalable operational standards
These gaps slow the industry, limit adoption, and restrict access for historically underserved farmers. This project prioritizes research and resource development to support gaps recognized by decision-makers: asset owners, O&M firms, insurers, lenders, policymakers, and farmers themselves.
The HARVEST Research Project is bridging these gaps.
With your support, student researchers from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability will deliver field-tested data, industry tools, and equity-driven models for the real world- not just academia.
As part of an 18-month theme-based capstone project, the student cohort will generate practical tools and resources for farmers, solar developers, insurers, finance institutions, and policymakers, translating research into action that makes solar farming fair, feasible, and financially sustainable for all.
Your contributions directly impact the outcomes of the project, enabling a 3x increase in the student work carried out over the course of the project.
What Your Gift Makes Possible
Your gift enables students to work full-time during the Summer 2026 field season - scaling up outputs from what’s required just for credit to what the industry actually needs.
Your donation goes towards student stipends, field research, travel, stakeholder interviews, dataset acquisition, and student coordination.
💵 $150 - Supports one field visit or survey incentive.
🚗 $300 - Funds travel and interviews with farmers, developers, and policymakers.
📊 $750 - Funds a week of analysis, modeling, or policy work.
👩🎓 $1,500 - Backs one month of of full-time graduate research.
📖 $2,500 - Sponsors a field case study for inclusion in the final HARVEST compendium.
Giving FAQs
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By Spring 2027, the HARVEST cohort will produce:
Academic & Practitioner Outputs
Comprehensive Landscape Analysis Report on agrivoltaic adoption pathways
Risk briefs for insurers and solar financiers (loss frequency, $/MW-year, downtime, etc)
State policy recommendations and redline-ready standards
Financial and equity archetypes for disadvantaged farmer participation
Survey analysis building on MSU and UAHA’s previous work
6–8 structured case studies across multiple system types
Industry Tools
Vegetation management contract models for multiple system types
Financier- and insurer-facing explainer sheets
Land stewardship lease clauses and models
Marketing guidance and technical assistance provider recommendations to support farmers
Best practice templates + roundtable summaries
Sector-informed publications and resources
Most resources will be open-access or distributed via UAHA’s Agrivoltaic Incubator to support small businesses and historically underserved farmers as they grow and seek markets for agrivoltaic products,
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Graduate students carry out the majority of the fieldwork, data analysis, interviews, and synthesis. For many- including international students- a stipend determines whether they can participate for the minimum time required for course credit, or triple their summer 2026 participation and impact by foregoing outside work.
“As an international student, I cover my own rent and groceries. Without a summer stipend, it will be difficult to meet basic expenses because I won’t have time for additional paid work. Having project funding would allow me to focus fully on delivering high-quality work for UAHA.”
— Payrav, University of Michigan cohort applicantYour support ensures students can commit the time required to produce practitioner-ready materials that the agrivoltaics sector urgently needs.
“We see a world of potential with solar grazing for our operation. The biggest challenge is to not go broke while waiting for the industry to actually materialize in our area.”
— Farmer respondent, UAHA Agrivoltaics Survey, 2024These are the people your gift helps.
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The United Agrivoltaics Heartland Alliance (UAHA) is a grassroots nonprofit led by a team of experienced solar and agrivoltaic practitioners, committed to accelerating dual-use solar that benefits both farms and the clean energy future.
Through partnerships with Michigan State University Extension and the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, we’re connecting cutting-edge academic research with real-world implementation. MSU and UMich bring decades of leadership in sustainable agriculture, food systems, and climate resilience- and now, they’re helping pioneer a future where agrivoltaics is equitable, evidence-based, and economically viable.
HARVEST builds on this collaborative foundation to directly serve farmers, solar developers, policymakers, and stakeholders by producing practical tools that drive forward the entire industry.
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Donors will receive project updates including student reports, case studies, and milestone deliverables.
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Supporting HARVEST means contributing to:
Stronger, data-driven agrivoltaics development
More equitable farmer participation
Better vegetation management economics
Clearer standards and underwriting pathways
A more prepared and capable future workforce
This project creates practical tools the industry has been waiting for.
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Make Agrivoltaics Work for Farmers & the Future
With your help, we can scale student work 3X and accelerate solutions for farmers and the solar industry alike.
Donate now —> Triple Our Impact
Powered by United Agrivoltaics Heartland Alliance, in collaboration with MSU Extension and the UMich School for Environment and Sustainability
UAHA is a fiscal sponsee of Fiscal Sponsorship Allies, a national 501(c)3 (EIN: 85-0839183) whose mission is to make the world a better place by removing barriers to doing good in the community.
All fiscal sponsored projects can also receive donations via ACH, Wire, Check, Donor-Advised Funds, and Stock Transfers.
