solar-powered livestock watering system
Uptown Butte, Courtesy Montana Department of CommerceCourtesy Montana Department of Commerce

Resilient Butte: Beijing to Butte, Montana 

A hundred years ago, at the height of a copper mining boom, Butte was the largest city between Chicago and the West. After most of the mines shut down, Butte’s population plummeted to only a fraction. Now, the community is growing again after decades of environmental restoration. Butte’s future will be shaped by opportunities and challenges related to climate change.

Video Series Provides Solar Education to Farmers

It should come as no surprise that farmers are busy people.…
Biosphere 2

NCAT’s AgriSolar Clearinghouse Launches National ‘Follow the Sun’ Tour

The AgriSolar Clearinghouse, developed by the National Center…

NCAT’s AgriSolar Clearinghouse Project Brings Together Solar and Agriculture

When I started back to work at NCAT as a sustainable agriculture specialist in August of 2021, after a five-year absence, I was vaguely familiar with the term agrisolar. Having experience working as both a farmer and a solar energy installer, I was aware of an explosion of new solar development projects happening across the country. I also knew that soil identified as prime farmland is, in many cases, prime land for solar development.
By Chris Lent, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist
Agrisolar clearinghouse logo

NCAT Launches Nation’s First AgriSolar Clearinghouse

In less than a decade, solar installations are expected to cover more than 3 million acres of the United States, creating a big opportunity to pair solar with agricultural land to produce food, conserve ecosystems, create renewable energy, increase pollinator habitat, and maximize farm revenue. The National Center for Appropriate Technology, a nonprofit focused on sustainable energy and agriculture solutions, has launched the nation’s first AgriSolar Clearinghouse to connect farmers, ranchers, land managers, solar developers, and researchers with trusted, practical information to increase the co-location of solar and agriculture.
Photo by Laura Kozlowski, courtesy ASGA

Episode 216. Sheep and the Sun: Solar Grazing with Lexie Hain

This week’s episode of Voices from the Field takes a look at…
A sheep stands under a solar array
A solar-powered water pumpCanvapro