Agrivoltaics | Farmers are cultivating renewable energy and creating sustainable food systems

Agrivoltaics|Farmers are cultivating renewable energy and creating sustainable food systems

This article is an excerpt from Episode 3: Broken Food Systems, Agrivoltaics, Climate-smart Agriculture from the Climate Fairplay Podcast.

Innovative thinking is key to moving beyond fossil fuels.

Creating renewable energy grids is one of the most significant steps in meeting net-zero energy targets. As we transition from fossil fuels, solar energy has become a much more efficient and reliable energy source. However, expanding solar energy requires much more space. According to a U.S. Department of Energy study, solar fields must increase to cover 0.5% of the country’s land use. To put this in perspective, golf courses account for just 0.1% of total land use in the U.S. That means we need five times the amount of land currently devoted to golf courses to meet our solar energy goals. This massive shift in land use has led to a new—and what I think is an exciting science: agrivoltaics

Agrivoltaics | Adapting to climate change while providing renewable energy

What exactly is agrivoltaics? To put it simply, agrivoltaics combines solar power production with agriculture. Instead of choosing between farming and energy generation, agrivoltaics is a growing field that finds dual uses on the same land. It’s been shown to boost energy resilience, cut carbon footprints, and diversify farmers’ income. Crops grown under solar panels benefit from the shade, reducing heat stress and water loss. In return, the vegetation cools the solar panels, improving their efficiency—a win for crops and the solar output. Agrivoltaics can also increase biodiversity by providing habitats for pollinators like bees and butterflies. Livestock grazing is another widespread agrivoltaic use, allowing ranchers to utilize the land beneath solar arrays for their animals.

Maine's sweetest renewable energy project

The best example of this in action is the largest agrivoltaics project in the US: a 10-acre wild blueberry field in Rockport, Maine. This innovative setup generates 4.2 megawatts of renewable energy while supporting the growth of wild blueberries. Ecologists are studying how these blueberries thrive under solar panels, and most importantly, people get to eat delicious, sustainably grown blueberries.

The potential for agrivoltaics is enormous and still in its early phase. As of 2023, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has identified 314 agrivoltaic projects across the U.S. Finding dual uses for solar fields is a science developing rapidly—and for good reason. Solar fields are going to expand dramatically. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that by 2035, there will be 5.7 million acres of solar energy land with a one-terawatt generating capacity.

A future where farmer's can produce food and renewable energy

As we strive to meet our renewable energy goals, agrivoltaics offers a practical solution to land constraints. Agrivoltaics bridges the gap between energy production and agriculture, ensuring we don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. Farmers can cultivate their land while producing renewable energy. This provides additional income and can benefit plant productivity by reducing heat stress. Communities benefit from local renewable energy sources and keep the economy centered on agriculture.

Imagine a future where farmers produce nutritious food while powering nearby towns or wheat fields and harvesting sunlight and grain. Integrating solar panels with agriculture could revolutionize how we think about land use and energy production.

Globally, there is demand for expanding solar energy, and agrivoltaics stands out as an innovative and efficient solution. It can help meet net-zero energy targets while supporting agricultural communities and promoting biodiversity. As this science continues to develop, we can look forward to a future where farmers are not only cultivating food but also renewable solar energy

About.

The Climate Fairplay is an independently operated podcast and publication with a goal to address the urgency of climate change and connect this to what’s happening on a community and individual level.

The podcast aims to make climate and environmental issues relevant and actionable for listeners.

Meet the writer.

Cody Sanford is a trained ecologist and environmental communicator focusing on climate issues and solutions that make a difference on a community-level.