Tag Archive for: Agrivoltaics

AgriSolar News Roundup: Community Solar Projects, Colorado Agrivoltaics Bill Signing, Agrisolar Research in Oregon 

500MW of Community Solar to be Deployed by Community Solar Collective 

“Aggreko Energy Transition Solutions (ETS), a business unit of Scottish modular power equipment distributor Aggreko Ltd., announced it would become the capital partner to the Farmers Powering Communities (FPC) platform, a farmland community solar development collective. With preservation and non-profit groups Edelen Renewables, the American Farmland Trust and community solar aggregator Arcadia, the FPC platform is focused on building out 500 MW of community solar projects over the next decade sited on rural farmland.  

The farming community solar program will advance projects of 25 to 50 acres to provide green energy to the many residents who don’t have access to rooftop solar or a local clean energy source. These could be low- to middle-income residents who may not be able to afford solar, people who rent and don’t own their roof, or people whose homes are not situated to take advantage of the sun’s energy.” – PV Magazine 

Jack’s Solar Garden Hosts Agrivoltaic Bill Signing  

Colorado governor Jared Polis recently signed Colorado Senate Bill 092. The bill signing was attended by Senator Chris Hansen; Representative Karen McCormick, DVM; and Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg. The signing  was hosted at Jack’s Solar Garden, an agrisolar operation in Boulder County, Colorado, and one of the largest agrivoltaic operations in the country. 

“In support of the use of agrivoltaics, which is the integration of solar energy generation facilities with agricultural activities, section 2 of the bill authorizes the agricultural drought and climate resilience office to award grants for new or ongoing demonstration or research projects that demonstrate or study the use of agrivoltaics.” – colorado.gov 

Oregon State University Shows Benefits of Agrivoltaics  

“On a small research farm outside of Wilsonville, Chad Higgins feels like he’s watching the future of farming and energy production unfold. Higgins, a biological and environmental engineering professor at Oregon State University, oversees one of the largest experiments in agrivoltaics in the world.   

Using agrivoltaic systems, Higgins has grown tomatoes with bigger yields and dry beans with higher protein content. He’s raised sheep in pastures under solar panels and, though the sheep don’t grow any faster, he’s able to graze more of them per acre because the grass grows more quickly. He’s also found that, because the plants cool the environment around them, the solar panels don’t run as hot and produce energy more efficiently.” - KGW 

Agrivoltaic: How much electricity could photovoltaic greenhouses supply?

The aim of this research is to establish how relevant agrivoltaics can be in terms of energy production at regional scale. For this purpose, a methodology is developed to: (i) identify greenhouses using cartographic information systems, (ii) estimate how much of these areas could be covered by solar photovoltaic panels without decreasing the crops production, thus, estimating the optimal photovoltaic cover ratio for different type of crops under different solar conditions by developing a novel set of equations and (iii) evaluate the corresponding photovoltaic power and production.

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The Impact of Floating Photovoltaic Power Plants on Lake Water Temperature and Stratification

In this paper, researchers quantify floating photovoltaic impacts on lake water temperature, energy budget and thermal stratification of a lake through measurements of near-surface lateral wind flow, irradiance, air and water temperatures at one of the largest commercial German facilities, situated on a 70 m deep dredging lake in the Upper Rhine Valley, South-West Germany.

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Photovoltaic-thermal systems applications as dryer for agriculture sector: A review

This paper looks at the use of photovoltaic thermal air collectors (PV-T) and integrated greenhouse drying systems. It offers insights and data to aid scientists and researchers in the creation and improvement of thermal models for combined solar systems, and presents a detailed analysis of the current state of knowledge in the field of combined solar systems. It also identifies gaps in the existing research and suggests potential avenues for future investigation.

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Does agrivoltaism reconcile energy and agriculture? Lessons from a French case study

In this article, the authors conducted a qualitative study revolving around three methodological approaches: a press analysis, a review of scientific literature, and fieldwork in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques district in France. Their analysis highlights four main results: (i) agrivoltaism is an innovation conceptualized in techno-scientific arenas which seek to define its agricultural viability; (ii) at the national level, the remote control by the State does not provide a framework for governance capable of involving the various actors in the fields of agriculture and energy; (iii) the deployment of agrivoltaism systems across regions engenders conflict while placing key local actors in a situation of uncertainty with regard to how best to manage this innovation; (iv) while individuals are subjected to territorialization, this paradoxically favors structural policy innovations which outline the contours of territorial governance.

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Solar Leasing: A Guide for Agricultural Landowners in the Pacific Northwest

This guide serves to help landowners navigate the complex and challenging decision process of whether to enter a solar lease. It presents key issues to consider and information to gather prior to making a decision, offers communication skills to help guide conversations with others connected to the land, and provides tips and tools for negotiating with the solar company on the terms of a solar lease.

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AgriSolar Policy Guide

Written for the AgriSolar Clearinghouse by Alexis Pascaris (Agrisolar Consulting) and Allison Jackson (Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center)

The Agrisolar Policy Guide was designed to facilitate policy learning and innovation in the United States. By collating existing initiatives and key provisions, this guide serves as a resource for regulators, land use planners, decision makers, and others who are interested in state-of-the-art agrisolar policy. The AgriSolar Clearinghouse is impartial towards policy; the intention of this guide is not to advocate for certain initiatives, but to provide a central platform for education and engagement. The goal of this guide is to support policy innovation for better co-location.

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Leasing Land for Solar Energy Development

This publication from the University of Missouri Extension uses information developed by land grant universities, in states where solar energy development is more common, to inform landowners that are considering utility-scale solar energy development land leases.

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The Farmland Owner’s Solar Leasing Checklist

This law bulletin from Ohio State University provides a number of things to do, issues to consider, people to consult, and questions to ask before and after signing a solar lease.

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Solar Lease Considerations for Landowners

This guide presents considerations for landowners looking at leasing their land for solar development.

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