Solar is being disincentivized on the federal level, but state and local governments are still encouraging agrivoltaics, which combine solar and agriculture.
As the federal government removes incentives for solar energy from business and homeowners, the Coalition for Community Solar Access says 19 states are investing in community solar programs and "exploring ways to enhance agrivoltaics," according to Civil Eats.
Farming in the United States is getting increasingly harder for a wide variety of reasons. Some of these have to do with the continually rising cost of energy. While the exact figures vary widely based on the type of farm and its size, the Department of Agriculture continues to report rising usage and costs.
Agrivoltaics may be one partial solution to some of these problems. The Department of Energy explains that these farms use land for two purposes at the same time. For instance, some farmers install solar panels to shade land meant for grazing or otherwise used for animal husbandry. Others plant crops under the panels. Either way, rural communities benefit from solar and get to continue farming, too.
Not everything can grow or be easily harvested under solar panels. The most common crops in this kind of setup are legumes, berries, leafy greens, and root vegetables, CCSA director of national policy Liz Perera told Civil Eats.
And researchers are figuring out ways to make it work for other crops, too. This kind of solution may give food cultivation in the U.S. a second chance, though it's still an emerging idea.
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Community solar is another way that farmers can partner with solar to achieve their agricultural goals. State and local organizations are looking to find ways to build more of these farms. Then, subscribers get credits that go toward their own electrical bills.
These ideas may just help keep farmers coping in the United States. Ethan Winter, who directs a rural solar program, told Civil Eats: "You're trying to create some opportunity for the next generation of producers; you're trying to not accelerate farmland loss."
Lucy Bullock-Sieger, a strategist for rural solar, noted: "Agrivoltaics is going to be even more important because the conversation over prime farmland is not going away."
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