RESOURCES
Discover the latest insights, tips, and guides from trusted sources. For landowners, farmers, ranchers, community leaders, solar enthusiasts, and everyone in between we seek to provide valuable information to help you stay in the know and make informed decisions about sustainable energy solutions. Join us in harnessing the power of the sun for a brighter, greener future!
Community solar projects generate $2.1 billion in economic impact
A 5 MW community solar installation brings an average $14 million of economic activity into the local community and supports 100 jobs, according to a report by the Coalition for Community Solar Access.
The report Economic Impact of Community Solar, released by the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA), estimated that 1 GW of community solar can support over 18,000 local jobs and generate $2.8 billion in state economic activity.
“This is the energy policy equivalent of finding a $100 bill on the sidewalk—if you’re a governor or a legislator and you walk past it, you’re doing your state a disservice,” said Jeff Cramer, CEO of the CCSA. “States are running out of time and options. Community solar is fast, cost-effective, and it works. We don’t have 10 years to build our way out of this energy crunch. In some cases, we have 18 months, and community solar fits the timeline.”
The report noted that in state-level studies across the United States, on average, a 750 MW of community solar development delivers approximately $2.1 billion in economic impact and creates over 14,000 local jobs. At a smaller scale, it finds that a 5 MW installation brings $14 million of economic activity into the community it serves and supports 100 jobs.
A key benefit of community solar, however, is that it lowers electric bills for renters, low- to middle-income ratepayers as well as small businesses. The report states “the message is simple: if you’re looking to jumpstart your state’s economy, start with community solar.”
Click the image to DOWNLOAD the full report.
Best Practices in Agrisolar - Agrisolar Clearinghouse
Agrisolar is the co-location of agriculture and solar energy in a landscape. This guide covers the state-of-the-art best practices for growing crops, grazing, beekeeping, and creating pollinator habitat under and around solar arrays. A chief strength of the AgriSolar Clearinghouse is our partner network, and, in this guide, the AgriSolar Clearinghouse team has gathered the country’s leading voices in co-location.
Click the image to DOWNLOAD the full guide.
Solar Farm Summit - Agrivoltaics Index
This page provides a comprehensive collection of resources across five key areas. You'll find foundational information, policy, university research, multimedia content, and in-depth articles covering all aspects of agrivoltaics including contributions from the brilliant minds at Lightstar.
Use the links below to easily navigate to the section that interests you.
A Peek at Potential Soil Health System Performance in the Next 50 Years of Climate Change in Four US Cropping Systems
AFT posted its final Resilience Report, completing a series of four reports: Illinois corn and soybeans, western New York forage crops, California almonds, and California wine grapes. With climate change intensifying every year, the costs and benefits of adopting soil health management systems are likely to change with time. However, field trials of soil health management systems from the recent past are unable to demonstrate how crops and practices will perform in the future climate. So, AFT partnered with the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Regrow to use a computer-based model to simulate cropping systems with and without soil health management systems from 2022 to 2072 using climate projections*. The group also used satellite imagery to explore how common soil health practices are in New York and Illinois cropping systems and how quickly they are changing over time. Here, we provide a brief summary of each report, starting in the east with New York and moving west.
*We used the Localized Constructed Analogs Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (LOCA-CMIP5) climate projections of the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 6.0. More technical details are available in our technical note.
Greg Plotkin, Senior Manager for Smart Solar Outreach & Engagement at American Farmland Trust kicked off his series of interviews at the 2nd Annual Solar Farm Summit 2024 with one of his favorite interviews with American Farmland Trust's Christina Couch - an aspiring farmer who is building a new training program to help other producers embrace opportunities in agrivoltaics. To her, it all comes back to the land.
Visit www.farmland.org/solar to learn more about AFT’s work in the space.
“I see a world where agrivoltaics gives me an opportunity for land access. And for other beginning or first-generation farmers. This could be a really awesome opportunity for us to get on some land and start farming. ”