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Critics of rural photo voltaic improvement argue that photo voltaic vitality is an inappropriate use of farmland, however what about exhausted or marginal farmland that may assist photo voltaic panels plus grasses and different native species to assist livestock farming? Sure, what about it? Twin use is the foundational idea behind the rising agrivoltaic pattern, and with the surging reputation of photo voltaic grazing the critics are operating out of unhealthy issues to say.
Quick Monitor For 300-Megawatt Agrivoltaic Challenge
The most recent information about agrivoltaics comes from California, the place a brand new, timeline-sensitive course of for environmental overview has been launched for vitality initiatives and different key infrastructure, together with photo voltaic improvement.
The new streamlining legislationSB 149 into legislation in 2023. It’s the newest iteration of a 2011 legislation aiming to keep away from pointless delays ensuing from lawsuits underneath the California Environmental High quality Act (CEQA). The brand new CEQA Judicial Streamlining Program is managed by the Governor’s Workplace of Land Use and Local weather Innovation.
On March 20, California Governor Gavin Newsom introduced that he has licensed the brand new Cornucopia Hybrid Challenge agrivoltaic challenge in Fresno County for development underneath CEQA, consisting of a 300-megawatt photo voltaic array, a 300-megawatt battery vitality storage, and provisions for photo voltaic grazing.
“The site was carefully selected to be on non-prime agricultural land, ensuring it does not disrupt valuable farmland,” the Govornor’s Workplace explains.
“The project will use a dual-use model, with sheep grazing alongside solar panels to help manage vegetation, reduce fire risks, and improve soil health,” they elaborate.
Different livestock can be used for solar grazingtoo. An agrivoltaic array can host cattle and different bigger grazing animals, although sheep are most popular as a result of there’s a decrease threat of harm to the tools as a result of their smaller dimension. In contrast to goats, sheep are additionally not prone to climb all around the photo voltaic panels.
Deserted Farms & Hearth Dangers
When you caught that factor about decreasing fireplace dangers, that stands out like a sore thumb. Usually talking, photo voltaic arrays are on the receiving finish of fireside dangers, identical to another human-made construction out in rural areas. Within the case of wildfires, these dangers are growing within the age of local weather change, right here within the US and world wide.
The concept that an agrivoltaic array can proactively assist scale back fireplace dangers is new to the pages of CleanTechnicaso let’s take a better look because it applies to wildfires.
Agrivoltaic or not, photo voltaic arrays for on-site or native energy era will help scale back wildfire dangers by decreasing or eliminating the necessity for overhead transmission wires. Nevertheless, one other, broader profit can be rising within the analysis.
The environmental penalties of land abandonment have attracted extra consideration from researchers in recent times, partly as a result of elevated threat of wildfire within the age of local weather change.
“Abandoned farmland has been increasing, with a billion acres — an area half the size of Australia — lost globally,” Yale 360 identified in 2023, including that the US has misplaced about 1/6 of its farmland in simply the previous 30 years.
That’s not essentially a nasty factor for the Earth. Rewilding and carbon seize may end up when random vegetation overgrows deserted farms. Nevertheless, Yale 360 additionally factors out the draw back. “Land abandonment has also been linked to soil erosion, desertification, and an increased risk of wildfires,” they level out.
Considerably paradoxically, the rise in wildfire threat can offset any carbon seize features from rewilding, or worse. “Shrubbier landscapes can be susceptible to fires, tipping the balance from a carbon sink to a carbon source,” explains Gergana Daskalova, an professional cited by Yale 360.
The Photo voltaic Grazing Answer
Except for farms which might be outright deserted, paying farmers to intentionally pull their land out of manufacturing is a typical observe meant to rebuild soil well being, lengthy supported by the US Division of Agriculture.
Whether or not or not that observe is sustainable underneath present and future wildfire threat situations stays to be seen. Within the meantime agrivoltaic initiatives — particularly, photo voltaic grazing — can supply a center floor that gives new alternatives for vegetation management alongside soil and grassland restoration.
As one measure of the attraction of agrivoltaic practices to farmland conservation stakeholders, the main organizations American Farmland Trust and The Nature Conservancy are amongst these endorsing the agrivoltaic subject as an answer that keeps farmland in circulation whereas offering a substitute for different, extra invasive and everlasting types of non-farm improvement reminiscent of housing, success facilities, and industrial enterprises (see heaps extra solar grazing background here).
No one Can Cease The Agrivoltaic Revolution
The developer of the Cornucopia solar project is the Americas department of the main world renewable vitality developer BayWa r.e. Regardless of the sudden shift in federal energy policy within the US, Germany-based BayWa r.e. has noticed a ripe alternative within the agrivoltaic subject, leveraging solar-friendly insurance policies in California amongst different states.
“This milestone is a win for both the state and Fresno County, helping accelerate infrastructure that powers homes and businesses while creating good-paying jobs, driving economic growth, and strengthening energy resilience,” a BayWa r.e. spokeperson enthused in a press launch issued by the Governor’s workplace.
The Governor’s Workplace additionally deployed the identical launch to supply a primer on the brand new fast-track course of.
“The judicial streamlining process sets clear timelines for resolving CEQA-related legal challenges. Through SB 7 (2021) and SB 149 (2023), projects that meet certain criteria can be certified for judicial streamlining,” they clarify. Below the legislation, there’s a 270-day restrict for resolving authorized challenges (when possible, that’s), however initiatives should nonetheless endure the CEQA overview course of, together with neighborhood engagement.
What About State Degree Coverage?
California isn’t the one agrivoltaic hotspot to emerge within the US. Texas has additionally shortly gained floor within the photo voltaic grazing subject, though Republican lawmakers within the state have been working arduous to quash renewable energy development.
Whelp, their loss. Texas isn’t proof against wildfires or the farm abandonment trend. In the meantime, researchers have famous {that a} wholesome proportion — 54% — of deserted cropland nationwide already reverted to grassland or pasturage between 1980 and 2018, indicating that the cropland-to-grazing pattern was nicely underneath manner lengthy earlier than photo voltaic vitality hit the mass market.
Simply add photo voltaic panels, and — nicely, if Texas farmers who’re combating money circulation can’t reap the benefits of a dependable new income stream from photo voltaic leases, loads of real estate investors are able to step in and make a fast buck off the land.
Professional tip: Subsequent time, don’t vote for the convicted felon.
What do you suppose, may agrivoltaic initiatives assist scale back the danger of wildfire and assist hold extra farms afloat regardless of the brand new pressures foisted upon US farmers by Trump’s tariff wars? Drop a notice within the remark thread or higher but, discover your representatives in Congress and allow them to know what you suppose.
Picture (cropped): A brand new agrivoltaic challenge in California will incorporate solar grazingplacing non-prime to farmland to make use of for sheep farming in addition to renewable vitality manufacturing (courtesy of Baywa.r.e.).
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