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

For generations, America’s farmers have used the solar to supply for his or her communities and assist the expansion of the nation. In the present day, 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 financial system.

The mix of agriculture and photo voltaic vitality is named agrivoltaics and is likely one of the fastest-growing functions of photo voltaic immediately. The Nationwide Renewable Power Laboratory estimates that there are at the moment 2.8 GW of agrivoltaic websites within the U.S., with extra tasks coming on-line each week.

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

A Higher Backside Line

Photo voltaic is a vital 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 protecting the electrical energy wants of barns, warehouses, gear, and the family.

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

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

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

Picture Courtesy of Lightsource bp.

Lightsource bp’s Elm Department and Briar Creek photo voltaic tasks 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 below 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 keep meals manufacturing ranges.

Some high-value crops like broccoli, leafy greens, peppers, strawberries, and blueberries thrive in decreased gentle circumstances. One research discovered that cherry tomato manufacturing doubled below photo voltaic panels and water effectivity was 65% higher.

Photo voltaic additionally supplies a great setting for pollinators and microbiomes that assist the long-term well being of the land. Retrofitting extra photo voltaic farms to accommodate pollinators might 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 programs, generally known as floatovoltaics, might save as much as 5.5 trillion gallons of water annually if simply 30% of freshwater reservoirs within the U.S. had 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 save cash and enhance manufacturing. As agrivoltaics grows in recognition, farmers will proceed to play an important function in feeding — and powering — America’s development.

Courtesy of SEIA Comms Crew.