February 2026 Newsletter

The Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center had a busy 2025 season showcasing agrivoltaics at Jack's Solar Garden, and connecting with, and inspiring, our community. Our educational programming, farmer collaborations, and policy outreach have grown in great ways; forging new relationships, strengthening existing ones, and inspiring people of all walks of life. We are looking forward to even more in 2026!
 
Scroll down to hear a about what we have in the works for 2026 and some of what our programs did in 2025.
 
With love, from the Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center team.

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On February 19–20, 2026 we're hosting a sold out conference at Colorado State University’s Spur Campus in Denver, the inaugural Colorado Agrivoltaic Conference: Building Community & Forward Momentum.

This two-day event will convene more than 100 stakeholders from across the solar, agriculture, policy, and conservation sectors. Through interactive sessions and facilitated discussions, participants will explore opportunities to collaborate, share knowledge, and accelerate agrivoltaic deployment in Colorado.

You can still join us online! Virtual tickets cost $15 and get you access to most of the sessions across the conference. Register for your ticket here.

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Tours & Events
Our 2026 tour season at Jack’s Solar Garden starts back up in April! Be sure to keep an eye out on our events calendar and future newsletters for our 2026 offerings. We are putting together some fun events this season that you won't want to miss.
  • Find out about our Public and Private Tours here. 
  • Interested in volunteering with us? Please fill out our Volunteer Interest form.
  • Looking for a fun outdoor activity to do with your team this year? Contact us to learn more about hosting events at Jack's Solar Garden.
In 2025 we launched a virtual 360 degree tour of Jack's Solar Garden for those unable to get to us in person, particularly for when an educational fieldtrip isn't possible.

Documentary Showing and Q&A
Save the Farm, Save the Future
February 21st, 7:30pm
At the Colorado Environmental Film Festival
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We invite you to join us at the Colorado Environmental Film Festival for a showing of Save the Farm, Save the Future followed by a Q&A session with Byron Kominek!
 
This film was created by Free Range Films in collaboration with the Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center, with funding from the Walton Family Foundation. 
 
Check out the trailer here!

Free Webinar Series
Join us for our first webinar of 2026!
March 12th from 1pm-2.30pm Mountain Time
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As a reminder, all of our free webinars are recorded! You can find recordings for all webinars from 2023, 2024, and 2025 here.
 
If there are any webinar topics we haven't covered but you'd like to hear, please reach out to us with suggestions!

2025 In Review

Policy Program
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The Policy team made significant progress advancing understanding and engagement around agrivoltaics across the state, meeting with local government officials, community organizations, utilities, solar developers, agricultural extension partners, and other community members!
  • We hosted workshops at Jack’s Solar Garden for:
    • Colorado state officials from 10 different government agencies to support interagency collaboration
    • Officials from 11 Colorado counties to support local decision-makers on siting and permitting agrivoltaic systems.
  • The team traveled to eight counties across Colorado to share the core principles of agrivoltaics and provide policy guidance on local land use codes.
  • We published Land Use Code Guidance for Deploying Agrivoltaics in Colorado, designed to help local governments and planning staff integrate agrivoltaics into their land use codes. 
In 2026, we plan to continue expanding our engagement efforts across the state, with visits to Colorado Springs, Durango, and Steamboat Springs already planned. We’re also exploring innovative ways to engage with state agencies, local governments, and state and local utilities.

SALSA Program
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Our Solar Array Lands Supporting Agribusiness (SALSA) program increases land access for underserved agriculturalists by connecting them with underutilized land within solar arrays to launch or expand agribusinesses.
 
In 2025, SALSA:
  • Conducted outreach with more than 40 partners across agricultural advocacy, solar, international resource, food access, and small business support sectors
  • Started work on enrolling a diverse 2026 cohort spanning medicinal herbs, pastured poultry, cut flowers, and maybe even experimental flax production!
The 2026 season will yield observational case studies exploring land access models and the agronomic and economic realities of working within solar arrays. We are deeply grateful to our partners for amplifying this work and helping expand equitable access to solar land for frontline agriculturalists.

Education Program
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This was a year of intense growth for our Education Program! We far outpaced our impact goals and created many new opportunities for students, teachers, and families.
 
In 2025, the Education team:
  • Participated in professional development sessions for Colorado teachers, sharing our resources and gathering feedback
  • Created many new lessons including two new projects: Solar Siting Debate and Defining Agrivoltiacs, both piloted in 2025.
The impact we’re having is clear!
  • Student feedback highlighted the value of hands-on learning, with activities like soil testing, temperature measurements, and observing sheep consistently cited as favorites.
  • Many students reported a new understanding of how solar energy and agriculture can coexist, as well as how microclimates and grazing practices support soil health.
  • Nearly half of the students we reached (45%) were from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, demonstrating our focus on equity and access in climate and renewable energy education.
  • Approximately 47% of the students we served were students of color, reflecting our commitment to reaching communities historically underrepresented in climate and renewable energy education.
  • Our digital resources allowed us to reach students statewide, including Ouray High School in southwestern Colorado, over 250 miles from Jack's Solar Garden.
We are eager to see where 2026 takes us!
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Finally, Thank You To Our Donors!
We couldn't do everything we do without your generous support.

8102 N 95th St
Longmont, CO 80504, United States of America