Chatham Selected for AGRI-Tech Program, Bringing Combined Solar and Agriculture Project to Eden Hall

Chatham University was awarded this week a grant that will provide training, support, and expert consultation to begin an innovative solar energy and mixed-use agriculture project at Eden Hall.

The grant, provided by InSPIRE and American Farmland Trust (AFT), is part of the AGRI-Tech program. It brings Chatham into cohort two of AGRI-Tech, which is focused on agrivoltaics.

Agrivoltaics combines the use of solar energy production and mixed agriculture within the same site. At Eden Hall, Chatham plans to apply these principles by installing ground-mount photovoltaic panels with infrastructure that will support bees, pollinator habitats, and, potentially, microgreens and other small crops.

The award provides 100 hours of technical assistance, totaling approximately $30,000, for the project, which is currently in the planning stages.

“This planning grant marks an exciting step forward in advancing Chatham University’s commitment to sustainability and innovation,” said Emily Heffernan, Ph.D., dean of Chatham’s Falk School of Sustainability and Environment. “At Eden Hall, we have a unique opportunity to bring to life a model that integrates solar energy production with pollinator habitat and food systems.

“I love this work because it demonstrates how multiple environmental and community benefits can coexist on the same landscape. This project also reflects our role as a regional leader in sustainability and transforms the research our students engage in every day into visible, impactful practice. While this is an early-stage planning effort, it lays the foundation for future implementation and expands our ability to share knowledge, resources, and solutions with our community and regional partners.”

Learn more about Eden Hall, the world’s first university campus designed as a showcase for sustainable solutions, at www.edenhall.chatham.edu.