PHOENIX — A 17-year-old Phoenix student is gaining national recognition for her work helping Arizona farms become more efficient through a method known as agrivoltaics, which combines agriculture with solar energy.

Sarah Bendok, a senior at Phoenix Country Day School, is the founder of the nonprofit Growing Green. Her organization helps schools, farms and community gardens install agrivoltaic systems — solar panels built above crops that provide shade and renewable power.

“It reduces their electric bill by 40 percent every year,” Bendok said.

The system has been in place at Spaces of Opportunity, a community garden in south Phoenix, since January 2024. Operators there say the results are clear. Jalapeño crops grown under the panels produced yields 4.5 times higher compared to crops with

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