Solar Garden

The Solar Garden at Chatfield Farms is an experimental five-acre solar array and garden, a combination known as agrivoltaics. Solar panels turn sunlight into electricity while the land below – from full sun to full shade – is used as a unique growing environment.

Here is a video explaining agrivoltaics at Chatfield Farms.

Growing food, saving water and generating clean energy

Rows are wide enough to accommodate farmers and equipment to tend the crops, and water use is minimized through drip irrigation. The solar panels produce more than enough power for Chatfield Farms’ operations. The remaining power generated helps to offset energy costs for about 125 households in need. Produce grown in the garden is donated to hunger relief organizations.

Chatfield Farms and the Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly known as NREL) will record and share results from this farming experiment, including the best crops to grow, water use and the impact on soil health and biodiversity.

The Solar Garden was created in partnership between Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency (CASR). Generous support is provided by Denver’s Climate Protection Fund, with additional support by Xcel Energy and Delta Dental.