Press release from the Union of Concerned Scientists
Integrating solar energy with agricultural production can bring economic and environmental benefits for farmers and rural communities, according to a new fact sheet released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
The fact sheet focuses on how agrivoltaic and ecovoltaic solar energy systems can increase renewable energy production, reduce agricultural water use, and provide financial benefits for landowners and farmers.
Agrivoltaic systems promote sustainable agriculture by allowing different cropping options, improving soil health, and reducing pesticide, fertilizer, and water use, while ecovoltaic systems combine renewable energy with environmental conservation, supporting habitat restoration and aquifer recharge.
“These systems can contribute to the economic resilience of farms, particularly during periods of drought or a drop in crop prices,” says Angel S. Fernandez-Bou, a UCS western states senior climate scientist and a co-author of the fact sheet.
Fernandez-Bou, whose work involves strategic land repurposing in California’s San Joaquin Valley, says integrating solar energy development with agriculture would reduce the harms of the excessive use of water, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in rural disadvantaged communities while promoting the positive benefits of aquifer recharge projects and clean energy generation.
“Agrivoltaics and ecovoltaics tend to generate energy more efficiently than panels over bare ground because vegetation has a cooling effect on the solar panels, and they function better at lower temperatures,” says Vivian Yang, a UCS western states energy analyst. “Even small-scale projects can reduce the electricity costs of heating, irrigation, refrigeration and water pumping on farms.”
Additional authors of the fact sheet include José M. Rodríguez-Flores, a senior analyst at Environmental Defense Fund, and Rosa Isabella Cuppari, a doctoral student at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
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