Commercial Project Profile
Roundabout Meadows Agrivoltaics Project
Client: Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC)
Location: Aldie, VA
Completion: Ribbon cutting October 17
Tiger Solar partnered with the Piedmont Environmental Council to deliver Virginia’s first agricultural–solar hybrid project at Roundabout Meadows Community Farm. The quarter-acre agrivoltaics installation demonstrates how food production and clean energy generation can coexist on the same land—providing a replicable model for farms across the region.
Tiger installed 42 fixed-tilt solar panels mounted 6–8 feet above the ground, creating approximately 2,000 square feet of productive growing space beneath the array. The 17 kW solar system is paired with 23 kW of onsite battery storage, allowing the farm to continue operating pumps, coolers, and greenhouse equipment even during grid outages. Together, the system produces 130% of the farm’s annual electricity needs, with excess energy sent back to the utility through Virginia’s net metering program.
The $150,000 project, funded through donors and NREL’s technical assistance grant, supports ongoing research with national university partners. Current trials include cool-season vegetables grown beneath and around the panels to study crop yield, soil conditions, and consumer response to agrivoltaics-grown produce.
For PEC, the installation advances both sustainability and resilience, helping preserve farmland in the face of regional development pressures while demonstrating a cost-effective path to clean, reliable power.
Tiger Solar’s role included:
- System design support
- Installation
- Commissioning
- Ensuring the project met research, reliability, and agricultural usability needs.