As a growing, popular source of renewable energy, solar power continues to impress with its versatility — from the tiniest panels for small, personal batteries to massive panels spread across hundreds of acres. Yet, solar is not done impressing quite yet.
Agrivoltaics is a term solar enthusiasts should get used to, especially considering its potential to dynamically change farming for the better. According to the Alberta Farmer Express, Patrick Gossage, board chair of Agrivoltaics Canada, said: "I believe that agrivoltaics is a diversification opportunity that could be the savior of many family farms in Canada."
That's quite a prediction for a concept that's been around since 1981 — originally the brainchild of Adolf Goetzberger and Armin Zastrow.
Agrivoltaics Canada recently joined Canada's Food and Agri-Tech engine as a Knowledge and Development partner, facilitating growing recognition of agrivoltaics in Canada's innovation ecosystem.
While the word "agrivoltaic" is somewhat offbeat, its application is simple. Instead of lining solar panels up in the traditional fashion, row upon row with small gaps in between, an agrivoltaic setup spaces the panels out, allowing for crops and livestock beneath and all around.
The government or power company leases the land from the farmer, providing the solar panels, paying the farmer a substantial sum per acre, and arranging the panels with enough space for crop production or mass livestock management.
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This allows the farmers to take in a new line of passive income on top of crop production profits.
The process also significantly boosts tax revenue for local municipalities, or at the county, city, and state levels in the U.S. In the Alberta Farmer Express story, Vulcan takes in $3.5-4 million annually.
While this particular story takes place in Canada, agrivoltaics is thriving in the United States, as well.
The agrivoltaic market is sitting at $361 million and projected to reach $789 million by 2032, with notable projects ongoing, including Jack's Solar Garden in Colorado, Madison Fields Solar Project in Ohio, and the Northeast Regional Leadership site in Rockport, Maine.
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Saving money 💰 In Canada or the U.S., the environmental benefits are exceptional, including soil-carbon enhancement, greenhouse gas reduction, water conservation, and pollinator habitat creation. According to the Sustainability Directory, this is mostly due to shade beneath the panels.
For those still sitting on the fence, Gossage was clear: "Solar energy is not the boogeyman, and that's the message we want to get across to all levels."
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