In this paper, researchers perform data analysis to detail the per-activity and total O&M costs for vegetation management at PV sites with different ground covers and management practices.
This research looks at the decision factors informing private landowners’ decisions to host solar sites on their land through a case study in California. Applying land system science and agricultural decision-making theory, we find that landowner decisions to host utility scale solar sites are based on profit-maximization, water availability, visual and ecological landscape values, and agricultural land preservation ethic.
This study was conducted to compare lamb growth and pasture production from solar pastures in agrivoltaic systems and traditional open pastures over two years in Oregon. This study showed that successful agrivoltaic systems are possible where lamb and energy production can be produced simultaneously from the same land. Comparable spring lamb growth and liveweight production per hectare from open and solar pastures demonstrate that agrivoltaic systems would not decrease the production value and potential of the land. In investigating the land use equivalence ratio, agrivoltaics enables increasing the land productivity up to 1.81 for pasture production and 2.04 for spring lamb production through combining sheep grazing and solar energy production on the same land as compared to single use systems. In addition to the increased land productivity and improved animal welfare, the results from this study support the benefits of agrivoltaics as a sustainable agricultural system. Overall, lower pasture yields under in fully shaded areas under the solar panels were the main cause of inferior pasture production in agrivoltaic sites. When designing pasture mixtures for agrivoltaic systems, a selection of pasture species that are not only tolerant to shade but also persistent under heavy traffic should be considered. Limiting the daily grazing time (e.g., on-off grazing: 3 h-grazing/d only) or rotational grazing pastures at low grazing intensities may be viable options for sustainable grazing of seasonally wet soils under solar panels.
This article presents a comparison of changes in vine growth and fruit characteristics due to the installation of solar panels in the vineyard. Researchers found that the development of vines and fruits was not significantly different, and that the post-harvest fruit showed no difference in granules, fruit discharge, sugar content, or pericarp color.
This guide aims to help farmland owners understand solar energy development and the solar energy leasing process. While the guide includes specific information for Ohio, much of the information in the guide is relevant for farmland owners in any state. Authors present initial considerations for farmers, as well as an explanation of common legal documents and terms in solar leasing. The final chapter of the guide organizes solar leasing issues into a checklist tool that reviews questions to ask and actions to take when thinking about solar energy development on the farm.
In this study, researchers outline practical considerations for grazing land adaptations with an eye towards our changing climate. Flexibility and learning under uncertainty are the overall themes, with an emphasis on collaborative research between researchers and land managers.
Understanding circularity and landscape experience in agrivoltaics contributes to enabling agriculture transitions and increasing public acceptance. This study examines these topics in built agrivoltaic projects reported in scientific literature, and provides recommendations for researchers, farmers, and policy makers to pay more attention to landscape experience while constructing agrivoltaic sites.
The AgriSolar Policy Guide was designed to facilitate policy learning and innovation in the United States. The intention of this guide is not to advocate for certain initiatives, but to provide a central platform for education and engagement and to support policy innovation for better co-location.
This study presents a strategy for scheduling water delivery by irrigation pumps, synchronizing energy production in solar photovoltaic modules and minimizing the installation size. An optimization algorithm is proposed, which changes the energy required by pumping devices and adjusts them to the available solar energy supply, minimizing the number of panels required. The results of the study provide a tool for managers and decision-makers when evaluating the possibility of converting their irrigation network into a stand-alone system supplied by photovoltaic panels.
THE LATEST
Harvesting the Sun, the Agrisolar Short Film, is Available Now!March 20, 2024 - 5:52 pm
Case Study: Alaska AgrivoltaicsMarch 20, 2024 - 10:07 am
