Chicago Tribune: Instead of competing for land, some farmers and solar developers want to work side by side
By Karina Atkins | katkins@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
Alson Time, a postdoctoral research associate, checks soil moisture and a temperature sensor in a soybean plot on July 23, 2024, between solar panels in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s agrivoltaics farm where researchers are exploring how crops can coexist with solar panels. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Matt Riggs’ family has been farming in Urbana since 1874. But, his parents had to work second jobs to cushion themselves from the volatile corn and soybean markets that dominate Illinois’ agricultural sector.
It quickly became clear that Riggs would also need to find another income stream if he wanted to keep the farm. He expects to lose $200 to $300 on each acre of corn this year, but a craft brewery he and his brother started is keeping the family farm afloat.
In the past few years, Riggs has realized the land his family has worked for 150 years is also ideal for solar panels. It’s flat, well-drained and gets lots of sunlight.
As Illinois strives to convert 40% of its energy consumption to renewables by 2030 and 100% by 2050, solar installations are expected to increase by 1,700% over the next five years, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Across the country, approximately 83% of new solar projects developed by 2040 will be installed on farm and ranch land, according to a 2022 American Farmland Trust analysis.
But, broad, low-lying solar arrays are not inherently compatible with farming. They typically take land out of agricultural production. This doesn’t have to be the case, however. An emerging field called agrivoltaics suggests shorter, shade-tolerant crops may grow well in the small spaces between panels.
After installing solar panels at his brewery and seeing how reliable they were, Riggs wondered if he could use them to hedge his farm’s balance sheet.
“The sun is going to come up on average a certain amount of time so you can build a really stable, predictable financial model, which I looked at having grown up on a farm and was like ‘Wow, that’s awesome,’” said Riggs.
FULL ARTICLE: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/31/solar-energy-farming/?share=ot27tlh1wot4mmahi0eh
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