Collaborative Research: GCR: Developing Integrated Agroecological Renewable Energy Systems through Convergent Research

The deployment of renewable energy systems in the U.S. brings with it questions of competing land uses, effects on soil and water systems, and implications for local communities. This project advances the frontiers of science by forging a convergent research paradigm that not only deeply integrates disciplinary modes of thinking, but also incorporates community values, knowledge, and priorities. The project's convergent framework integrates community knowledge and priorities into a nascent field that explores how wind and solar power can be embedded into agricultural systems. Participating disciplines include engineering, policy studies, geography, and biology. Positioned to contribute to the nascent body of research on the integration of solar and wind energy into agricultural systems, this project focuses on the co-design of integrated agroecological renewable systems to emphasize the multifaceted goals that may be achieved beyond or in synergy with crop and energy production. To this end, the project 1) Demonstrates the potential of convergent research that involves significant community participation to shape renewable energy technologies; 2) Highlights the interconnectedness of socio-cultural, technical, and environmental systems; 3) Provides insight into integrated food-energy-water systems that build resilient soil systems and protect ecosystem services; and 4) Advances understanding of how convergent research can blend different types of knowledge to develop paths towards sustainable food and energy systems. The broader impacts include: 1) Transformative training opportunities for graduate students and PIs in community-based convergent research; 2) Deep engagement of community researchers in scientific research on the principles of integrated agroecological renewable systems; 3) Creation of communities of practice emerging from convergent research that are positioned to shape the emerging subfields of agrivoltaics and agriwind; and 4) Creation of living labs that members of the public can visit to learn about integrated agroecological renewable systems and convergent research processes in real time. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.