Harvesting Sunshine: Photo voltaic is America’s Latest Money Crop

For generations, America’s farmers have used the solar to offer for his or her communities and assist the expansion of the nation. At this time, with the assistance of photo voltaic and storage applied sciences, agricultural communities are delivering each the meals that powers our our bodies and the clear vitality that powers our economic system.

The mix of agriculture and photo voltaic vitality is called agrivoltaics and is without doubt one of the fastest-growing functions of photo voltaic immediately. The Nationwide Renewable Vitality Laboratory estimates that there are presently 2.8 GW of agrivoltaic websites within the U.S., with extra initiatives coming on-line each week.

Whereas some nonetheless imagine photo voltaic growth competes with agriculture, many communities are demonstrating simply how mutually useful photo voltaic will be to America’s farmlands and native economies.

A Higher Backside Line

Photo voltaic is an important a part of the economics for a lot of farming operations.

Smaller residential photo voltaic arrays, owned by the landowner, can considerably cut back the electrical energy payments of a farm, typically overlaying the electrical energy wants of barns, warehouses, tools, and the family.

Michigan State College discovered {that a} 10 kilowatt (kW) photo voltaic system may save the typical farm about $1,880 per 12 months. Different farms, like dairy farms, have a extra vitality intensive operation and the identical 10 kW system may save a dairy farm almost $4,000 per 12 months. Mixed with federal incentives and USDA rural vitality packages, farms can save much more on upfront prices.

Alternatively, farmers can lease a part of their land to a utility-scale photo voltaic challenge and obtain passive, assured revenue all 12 months spherical.

For household farms working on skinny margins, this revenue will be important.

Photograph Courtesy of Lightsource bp.

Lightsource bp’s Elm Department and Briar Creek photo voltaic initiatives in Texas delivered two new income streams to native farmers. The primary was within the type of lease funds. The second was a grazing contract for the farmers’ greater than 1,000 sheep. These sheep now management the expansion of grass on the positioning and keep cool beneath the shade of the panels.

Co-location Advantages

Farmers are additionally co-locating their crops and photo voltaic arrays to boost their agricultural manufacturing and promote biodiversity.

Photo voltaic arrays hold crops cool, creating shade beneath their panels that may defend vegetation from excessive warmth. This results in higher crop yields and helps states preserve meals manufacturing ranges.

Some high-value crops like broccoli, leafy greens, peppers, strawberries, and blueberries thrive in lowered mild circumstances. One examine discovered that cherry tomato manufacturing doubled beneath photo voltaic panels and water effectivity was 65% better.

Photo voltaic additionally supplies a perfect setting for pollinators and microbiomes that assist the long-term well being of the land. Retrofitting extra photo voltaic farms to accommodate pollinators may save farmers tens of millions of {dollars} each 12 months.

Preserving Water Assets

The shade from photo voltaic panels may also assist farmers preserve restricted water assets.

As temperatures climb, photo voltaic panels can present overhead safety for crops, livestock, and agricultural employees, serving to to scale back water evaporation and consumption.

Farmers additionally use freshwater reservoirs to assist with irrigation and photo voltaic farms can now float on high of them. These techniques, often known as floatovoltaics, may save as much as 5.5 trillion gallons of water annually if simply 30% of freshwater reservoirs within the U.S. have been lined by photo voltaic panels.

From tomato fields within the Central Valley to ranches on the Nice Plains, agricultural communities of all sizes and styles are utilizing photo voltaic to economize and enhance manufacturing. As agrivoltaics grows in recognition, farmers will proceed to play a significant position in feeding — and powering — America’s development.

Courtesy of SEIA Comms Crew.