Our Table

Our Table Cooperative’s 58-acre certified organic farm in Sherwood, Oregon is home to six Stracker elevated solar trackers.

The installation is part of a groundbreaking agrivoltaics research project made possible by the collaborative work of Our Table Farm, Oregon Clean Power Cooperative, and Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences and by a generous grant from Portland General Electric’s Renewable Development Fund.

Growing heat-sensitive crops, such as lettuce and other leafy greens, in Oregon’s hot summers has been a real challenge for farmers. “All of us have suffered the effects of climate change,” says Narendra Varma, Executive Director at Our Table Cooperative. “It has a very large and real impact on our bottom line.”

The research project is focused on evaluating and quantifying the positive effects of partial shade provided by the solar panels while generating power for the farm’s operations. “We are looking at how we can make farming systems work with solar, so we can continue farming and make sure that both farming and solar stay profitable,” says Chad Higgins, Associate Professor at Oregon State University.

The six Strackers carry a total of 168 solar panels atop their 20-foot poles and are expected to produce 150,000 kWh of clean power annually. While the arrays follow the sun throughout the day, maximizing energy harvest, they provide moving shade to cool the crops underneath. The 14-foot minimum ground clearance of the installation allows Our Table to continue their farming practices using tractors and other farm equipment under the panels.

Our Table provides food to thousands of people in the local area, so the Lettuce Shine project includes a Sol-Ark battery system that ensures that the farm store and the farm’s food refrigeration can keep running during potential power outages.