(Image Credit: Red Deer Polytechnic)

By rdnewsNOW staff

125 kW agrivoltaics demonstration unit

RDP gets $1.24 million from Natural Resources Canada

Mar 30, 2026 | 5:33 PM

A $1.245 million grant from Natural Resources Canada will help Red Deer Polytechnic expand its leadership in energy innovation and sustainable agriculture.

The money comes from the federal Applied Research Grant and is intended for work to pioneer cold-climate agrivoltaics innovation.

It will allow for the creation of a 125 kW agrivoltaics demonstration unit at RDP’s Energy Innovation Centre, the polytechnic says.

The outdoor site will feature bi-facial solar panels and advanced tracking systems designed to optimize energy generation while maintaining agricultural productivity in cold climates.

“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,” says Dr. Tonya Wolfe, associate vice president of applied research, RDP.

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“This approach maximizes land efficiency, reduces carbon emissions and enhances yields, offering both economic and environmental benefits. 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.”

Over the next five years, RDP aims to train 1,000 individuals—including RDP students, industry partners and community members—through hands-on learning opportunities, field trips and the development of a new microcredential in agrivoltaics.

Per RDP:

Performance data will be collected and shared through RDP’s Data Sharing Alliance (DSA) platform, a real-time open-source tool that already aggregates data from eight solar sites across Alberta. The DSA will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors to analyze real-time data on energy production, soil moisture and crop health. This open-source platform will provide farmers and policymakers with the actionable insights needed to de-risk agrivoltaics adoption across Canada.

“CBI Solar is committed to supplying and installing a high-quality solar component required to make this dual-use system a reality,” adds Colin Watts, president/CEO, CBI Solar, one of RDP’s industry partners with this project.

“By combining solar production with agricultural practices, this project showcases the future of innovation in both sectors and contributes directly to Alberta’s economic growth.”

The project also includes partnerships with Sunchild and Montana First Nations, ensuring the project supports energy independence and food autonomy for rural and Indigenous populations, RDP notes in a release.

“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,” says Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson.

“We are investing to provide reliable, affordable and clean power across the country that will propel our economic growth, protect affordability for Canadian families and make Canada a low-risk, low-cost, low-carbon energy superpower.”

More information about RDP’s research and innovation, including research areas and the Energy Innovation Centre, is available at: rdpolytech.ca/innovation.