A polytechnic institute based in Alberta recently received more than one million dollars in federal funding.
Red Deer Polytechnic garnered $1.245M from Natural Resources Canada through the Energy Innovation Program, the organizations announced.
The capital aims to support the creation of an agrivoltaics demonstration unit as part of RDP’s Energy Innovation Centre.
The project, “Pioneering & Advancing Red Deer Polytechnic’s Data Sharing Alliance in Agrivoltaics,” explores dual-use of land by integrating active crop cultivation with solar photovoltaic technology.
“The Agrivoltaics demonstration unit at Red Deer Polytechnic combines renewable energy generation with agricultural productivity, addressing the dual challenges of reliable, consistent clean energy and food security,” explains Dr. Tonya Wolfe, Associate Vice President of Applied Research at RDP.
Located on RDP’s campus, the outdoor site will feature solar panels and tracking systems designed to optimize energy generation while maintaining agricultural productivity in cold climates.
“This approach maximizes land efficiency, reduces carbon emissions and enhances yields, offering both economic and environmental benefits,” Wolfe says.
The installation will become part of RDP’s Campus Energy Living Lab, supporting applied research while helping prepare the next generation of energy and agricultural professionals, according to a statement.
“The site will not only validate the balance between energy generation and food production but also support commercialization of technologies that support the agrivoltaics industry,” Wolfe said.
Performance data will be collected and shared through RDP’s Data Sharing Alliance platform, a real-time open-source tool that already aggregates data from eight solar sites across Alberta and provides farmers and policymakers with the actionable insights.
The Energy Innovation Program was created to advance clean energy technologies that will help Canada maintain a reliable and affordable energy system while transitioning to a low-carbon economy.
The RDP project was among 12 EIP-funded initiatives totalling $29M in investments announced by Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
“Canada is scaling up clean energy while strengthening our electricity grid and responsibly growing our conventional energy industry—because competitiveness means doing more than one thing at the same time,”Hodgson stated. “We are investing to provide reliable, affordable and clean power across the country.”