This article explores the growing trend of agrivoltaics, where solar panel farms and livestock farming are combined. The practice offers potential benefits for both farmers and renewable energy companies.
The concept has existed since the 1980s, but it’s really picked up steam in recent years as higher institutions such as Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst conduct research. Just this year, the department launched the Large Animal and Solar System Operations Prize valued at $8 million. It gives academic institutions, tribes, and nonprofit organizations the chance to develop and research the partnership created between solar panel farms and livestock farmers.
The push for agrivoltaics comes as the Energy Department seeks to decarbonize the electricity grid by 2050. With that goal comes the need to build more solar panels, and to do so, developers would need to build ground-based solar stretching across 0.5% of the land in the United States. The Energy Department and solar power companies are especially interested in building on farmlands because the conditions necessary for crops to grow — low winds, moderate temperatures, plenty of solar radiation, and low humidity — are the same conditions that yield the highest solar power production. Farmers, meanwhile, are expected to see their net farm income this year 40% down from 2022.
“Farm finances will almost certainly weaken in 2024 and 2025, based on high credit costs, rising land costs and falling commodity prices,” American Farm Bureau Foundation economist Samantha AyoubFarmers can enter an agreement with solar power companies to lease their farmland to help manage volatile crop and meat prices.
Solar grazing is the most popular arrangement in agrivoltaics, accounting for 200 grazing sites across 50,000 acres of land, Jordan Macknick, head energy-water-land analyst for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,When solar power companies are leasing land from farmers raising sheep, they can just rely on the animals to maintain the vegetation. There is no need to use emission-producing mowers or toxic herbicides. .
Renewable Energy Agriculture Solar Power Agrivoltaics Livestock Farming
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