Policy

Although we support the Heinrich-Braun Bill, it doesn't apply to all programs by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The current narrow definition of agrivoltaics in the Heinrich-Braun Bill will result in unnecessary costs for the research and implementation of agrivoltaics programs. Furthermore, the biggest obstacle for agrivoltaics is getting planning boards and state-level policymakers comfortable with the definition of agrivoltaics and the compliance mechanisms available to ensure developers aren’t just sitting standard solar on farmland and walking away. Hence, it is crucial that the next crucial step is proposing a definition of agrivoltaics in the Farm Bill — the appropriations bill that governs all farming programs and funding in the United States reauthorized every five years — that applies to all USDA and federal programs. A robust agrivoltaics definition is free and will create a national market for agrivoltaics over the next five years.