Harvesting The Sun: How Farmers Can Benefit From Solar Installations

By 2050, all of the electricity generated by Virginia’s utilities must come from carbon-free sources, as mandated by last year’s Virginia Clean Economy Act. In reaching this goal, the Clean Economy Act specifies that 16,100 MW of land-based renewables need to be developed. This means Virginians can expect to see an increasing number of solar panels popping up throughout the state over the course of the next couple decades. 

Generally, solar power systems need between roughly five and 10 acres in order to generate one MW of electric energy. It’s safe to estimate that Virginia will need about 161,000 acres of land to develop solar energy on in order to comply with the Clean Economy Act. 

Where should these solar power systems be located?

Farms are one option. Since they’re flat and designed to have plenty of exposure to the sun, farms are an ideal location to produce solar energy. However, not everyone is on board with the idea of producing solar energy on farms. Skeptics say that the United States is losing vital farmland too rapidly; between 2001 and 2016, over 11 million acres of farmland started being used for non-agricultural purposes. There are concerns that farmers will no longer be able to make a living if farms were replaced with solar panels.

However, this is not quite the case. It is very possible for farms and solar power systems to exist in the same place. And in many cases, the addition of solar panels on a farm could bring economic benefits to the farmer. 

The practice of locating agriculture and solar power systems on the same land is known as agrivoltaics. Agrivoltaics involves planting crops beneath solar panels. Generally, these solar panels have more space between them than typical solar power systems, allowing crops growing in between to share the sunlight. The height of the solar panels is also increased in agrivoltaic systems, allowing for livestock to graze the land and for agricultural machinery to make its way through. Tracking solar panels, which are capable of having their angles and height adjusted, generally work well in agrivoltaic systems. 

A study released last year found that agrivoltaic systems lead to reduced carbon emissions, higher crop yields, and reduced water usage. Whereas traditional solar panel installations placed on gravel lead to increased ground temperatures around them, agrivoltaic systems reduce the levels of direct sunlight on the ground, causing the ground to retain more moisture. This illustrates how the use of agrivoltaic systems enables the same land to be used for both agriculture and renewable energy production. 

The widespread adoption of agrivoltaic systems would lead not only to the reduction of carbon emissions equivalent to taking over 70,000 cars off the street, but it would also create over 100,000 new jobs in rural areas, according to the 2020 study. With solar, farmers will be able to keep their farms and job creation will take off in rural areas. 

There are more economic benefits that come with agrivoltaic systems. By installing solar power systems on farms, farmers will be able to diversify their revenue streams. Rather than relying solely on crop production, farmers will be able to sell the energy generated on their farms to energy distributors. 

Finally, it’s possible to power irrigation equipment with solar, further helping farmers save money while working to yield crops. 

It’s clear that crops and solar power systems can share the same location. In fact, colocating crops and solar panels can actually increase a farm’s production. Farmers do not have to sacrifice their land for solar; by harvesting the power of the sun in the same places farmers grow crops, Virginia can support farmers economically, reduce carbon emissions, and bring jobs to rural parts of the state.