Team Super Sisters Solutions, comprised of Vera Chaudhry, Anna Bonnem, Chelsea Wilp, Jonah Lovejoy and Lillian Gilbert-Smith, won third place in the 2025 Climate Case Competition. Their proposal involved installing solar panels on soybean farms in Illinois.
“We started by researching the kinds of crops that work best with solar panels and what solar panels need to do well and produce an ideal amount of energy,” said Chaudhry. “I think the ‘Aha!’ moment for us was when we realized that soybeans are that solution. On top of that, they are in Illinois and in the Midwest region which is an area that does have a lot of solar projects, a place that ACCIONA has worked a lot in in the past, and on top of that, has all these policy benefits.”
The proposal for ACCIONA seeks to expand and optimize agrivoltaic systems through integration of solar energy generation into existing soybean acreage. Soy is the second-largest crop in the US by acreage and is shade resilient, making it the perfect landscape for ACCIONA’s newest venture into agrivoltaics. The team targeted Illinois due to its leading position in US soy production and its many applicable financial incentives and tax benefits.
Factoring in soybean production rates, nearby substations and grid infrastructure, and ideal local policies, the team found target regions in which ACCIONA can find ideal partner farms. The team’s agrivoltaic system consists of rows of single-axis solar tracking solar panels, spaced at 34-foot intervals to accommodate the average soybean combine. They proposed a cost-sharing model in which farmers lease their land to ACCIONA for a 20 year period, allowing ACCIONA to generate solar energy while farmers retain 92% of their crop yield. They modeled ACCIONA’s revenue over a 20 year operational period with a 15 year PPA, and calculated above-average IRR, NPV, and profitability for ACCIONA, with and without a debt-financing model for the project.
From conversations with a midwestern soy farmer, the team confirmed that most farmers don’t know enough about agrivoltaics, but would be interested in implementing an agrivoltaic system if it was profitable for their farm. With the Super Sisters’ solutions, the model makes up for a projected $70/acre reduction in crop revenue by leasing land at $269/acre, helping farmers
diversify their income, access environmental tax incentives, and increase revenue by 22% per acre. The team’s cover cropping proposals will further farmers’ soil health and regenerative practice, aligning with ACCIONA’s sustainable mission.
Tommaso Calcagno and Louise Wang served as graduate mentors for team Super Sisters Solutions.