American solar developer Urban Grid has launched an apiary at its Crystal Hill photovoltaic site in Halifax County, Virginia. Introduced on World Bee Day, the project is part of the company’s agrivoltaic programme aimed at integrating energy production with agricultural use.
Integrated agricultural production at the solar site
The apiary includes ten beehives housing around 500,000 bees, with an estimated annual honey output of more than 400 pounds. The site already supports a sheep-grazing operation for vegetation control, which supplies local grass-fed lamb. The honey will be distributed to local food banks, schools and community-based organisations.
This initiative broadens the agricultural use of the land and allows Urban Grid to diversify the local economic output of its solar infrastructure. “This initiative demonstrates how locally produced energy can generate shared value across the territory,” said Val Newcomb, Vice President of Economic and Community Development at Urban Grid.
Pollinator research programme launched
In partnership with Siller Pollinator Company, Urban Grid has begun a multi-year scientific study focusing on pollinator activity and plant diversity near the solar installation. The programme includes vegetation surveys, soil sampling and honey analysis to understand how pollinators interact with the solar array environment.
“We’re not just placing hives—we’re farming this land,” said Allison Wickham, founder of Siller Pollinator Company. A three-acre parcel will soon be dedicated to rotational crops adjacent to the hives, enabling tests on new farming opportunities within the site.
Towards a replicable model in future sites
The pilot site will help Urban Grid assess the pollination benefits for nearby agricultural land and adapt its landscape strategy accordingly. The company plans to incorporate these practices in future developments to establish a land management model combining solar energy and farming.
Jeff Hudson, Vice President of Asset Management at Urban Grid, said the wide-scale pollination study aims to “improve vegetation while producing energy, within an optimised operational framework.” The data collected will inform ecological planning across Urban Grid’s entire portfolio.
