In California’s Central Valley, the Plan to Build More Solar Faces a Familiar Constraint: The Need for More Power Lines
Solar + Agriculture Improving Farm Health
Dual-use solar, also known as agrivoltaics, is a method that enables solar energy and agriculture to coexist on farmland. As part of agriculturally compatible strategies and applications that keep farmers viable and benefit farm communities, the use of solar is pivotal for water conservation and reliable energy transmission. But why is this important?
The state of California suffers from severe drought conditions — as of January 1, 2023, 100% of the state was experiencing drought according to the US Drought Monitor. While the situation has improved with torrential rains and winter snowfall, California’s Department of Water Resources has determined that it will take more than one rainy season to improve groundwater levels across the state. California farms are reliant on irrigation efficiency — but reduced water availability and rising temperatures put pressure on crop water demands, severely impacting the agricultural sector.
Agrivoltaics, farming, and food systems experts addressed this problem at a recent AgPV (agriculture photovoltaics) webinar, hosted by Lightstar in partnership with Maryland Farm Bureau and American Farmland Trust (AFT).
The webinar featured Lucy Bullock-Sieger, VP of Strategy, Lightstar Renewables; Colby Ferguson, Director – Government Relations, Maryland Farm Bureau; Ethan Winter, Northeast Solar Specialist and Amanda Katherine, Mid Atlantic Program Manager from American Farmland Trust along with farmers such as Nick Armentrout, who is a small farm owner in Maine and is an American Solar Grazing Association board member, and Byron Kominek of Jack’s Solar Garden.
Together, they discussed the potential for agrivoltaics and its benefits to states that sit at a nexus of farm viability, energy independence, and severe weather conditions. These states, including California, require more reliable sources for food security.
With agrivoltaics, farming practices can take a regenerative approach. Shade from the solar panel arrays provide an opportunity to grow crops that can’t fully thrive in extreme sun. Cultivating near agrivoltaics projects also increases water conservation, offering a beneficial and sustainable solution to the ongoing challenge. Results from a 2019 study indicate that an agrivoltaic system retained soil moisture by 15% more when irrigating every alternate day than a control system — a win-win that can help US states, including California, push towards water, food and energy security.
In California’s Central Valley, the Plan to Build More Solar Faces a Familiar Constraint: The Need for More Power Lines
California’s San Joaquin Valley, a strip of land between the Diablo Range and the Sierra Nevada, accounts for a significant portion of the state’s crop production and agricultural revenues. But with the state facing uncertain and uneven water supply due to climate change, some local governments and clean energy advocates hope solar energy installations could […]
Lightstar Renewables and American Farmland Trust partner to promote regenerative agricultural practices through agrivoltaics across the US
Traditional territories of the Massachusett and Pawtucket People / Boston, Massachusetts, March 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Lightstar Renewables announces their support of the American Farmland Trust’s (AFT) mission to save the land that sustains us by protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices, and keeping farmers on the land. Through this partnership, AFT will use their Smart […]
Agrivoltaics can provide food, energy for growing world population
From pv magazine USA Agrivoltaics solve at least two critical needs. Solar provides the renewable energy needed to mitigate climate change impacts while meeting global energy demand. And crops grown alongside solar help to feed the burgeoning global population, which is anticipated to grow to nearly 10 billion people by 2050, according to the United Nations. […]
