Program melds solar energy, agriculture production

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The U.S. Department of Energy estimates more than 10 million acres will be converted to solar energy by 2050, and the American Farmland Trust projects over 80% could be sited on agricultural lands.

AFT has addressed the renewable energy and agricultural production balance with its Smart Solar guidelines with goals of safeguarding land well-suited for farming and ranching; strengthening farm viability; and accelerating solar energy development.

Smart Solar guides solar development to where it has the least negative impact on farm and ranch land and promotes “agrivoltaics” solar projects that meld both solar energy and farming.

“AFT is not anti-renewable energy, but we are steeped in farmland protection. So, where do we fit? How do we not stand in the way of a farmer’s opportunity for diversity in revenue, but at the same time keep that farmland in production,” Joel Tatum, AFT senior solar specialist, said at the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation District’s annual conference.

Between 2001 and 2016, about 11 million acres was converted from farmland to something else.

It’s concentrated and not evenly dispersed across the land, and solar is the same way — concentrated where transmission lines are located.

“You’ll hear some people say, ‘If we put in all the solar we needed to take care of the whole country, that would only be 1% to 2% of the total farmland acres needed.’ That sounds pretty insignificant. So, why do we even care?” Tatum said.

“Well, it’s not evenly distributed. We have some counties in our eastern states that are up to 20% development for solar. That’s without urban sprawl. That’s without any other kind of farmland loss. That’s solar only. That’s significant and that affects the farm economy in that county.

“When we see projects that are thousands of acres in one county, that’s concerning because if there’s not some forethought and some concern around that farmland conversion, then we just lose those acres.

“Agrivoltaics is one way that we can diversify the land, keep it in production and implement solar at the same time.”

Principles

Smart Solar principles prioritizes projects on non-prime or land with high productivity, versatility and resilience.

“In Illinois, there’s a lot of high PVR, and in Illinois, Indiana there’s not a lot of land that’s not over that threshold of what we call good PVR land,” Tatum said.

“That’s tough to do in Illinois, but they are out there. Brownfields, areas that were previously disturbed, areas that were contaminated, land not well-suited for farming, are good places for solar.

“Again, solar goes where the transmissions are, so the stars have to lineup a little bit for those projects to happen, but they are happening and the state has incentives around brownfields and things like that which is exactly what we want to do.”

“Agrivoltaics is one way that we can diversify the land, keep it in production and implement solar at the same time.”

—  Joel Tatum, senior solar specialist, American Farmland Trust

Another Smart Solar principle is to protect the soil and water and safeguard the ability for the land to be used for ag production. That can be done through incorporating agrivoltaics.

Agrivoltaics

“Agrivoltaics means we are continuing to farm that land in and around the panels, or keeping that land in production. That’s not just around the setback areas. That’s actually continuing to farm in between the panels. It keeps that farmland in production,” Tatum said.

“It can be an additional revenue source, and if the landowner themselves aren’t interested in being the agrivoltaic farmer, then it creates an opportunity for a new farmer or a first-time farmer to come in and be that farmer. It’s a good way to keep that farmland in production, even if it’s not the same crop.

“Are we going to grow corn in between the panels? No, we’re not. But, can we grow alfalfa hay? Sure we can. Can we do a variety of soybeans? Can grow some wheat? Absolutely, and all of those things can be done without adding a lot costs.

“Agrivoltaics by AFT standards is being able to take a commodity or a revenue-based crop off of that land. That goes a little further than just saying it’s a pollinator. Pollinators are wonderful and have a good reason for having pollinators in between the panels, but we’re trying to protect prime farmland and keep it in production.”

One example is sheep grazing. Developers are typically planting grass or pollinators around the solar panels, and the projects are usually fenced. Water is the only box that has to be checked, and it’s sometimes not.

“Community solar projects are 15- to 50-acre projects. They worked well for rotational grazing. The biggest challenge we have is there’s not a big grazing market in the Midwest,” Tatum said.

“We have a cow-calf operation at home. I really want to graze cattle around solar panels. We’re working with manufacturer of solar panel bracketing and infrastructure to see how we can elevate those panels for a safe height for cattle and not add cost.

“Another potential for smaller solar projects is community gardens for hand-harvested crops. Fruits and vegetables are great to have locally-grown and sold products. We’re seeing quite a bit of research out west for those type of crops and there’s opportunity in the Midwest, as well.

“Why agrivoltaics? There’s revenue opportunity and would support local businesses. The biggest thing for AFT is to keep that farmland in production. It may be a crop you haven’t grown before. It could be a host of different things.”

Partnerships

AFT, Edelen Renewables and Arcadia launched Farmers Powering Communities two years ago, and Aggreko Energy Transition Solutions joined the partnership last year.

“The partners agreed to use AFT’s Smart Solar principles, meaning they won’t pursue a project if they don’t abide by our principles,” Tatum said.

“These are community solar projects only. We’re only doing these in Illinois and New York. We’re talking to farmers who are interested in land leases for 15 to 50 acres, with the goal of protecting the farmland, doing an agrivoltaic projects and helping navigate a lease that’s farmer-friendly.”

AFT provides federal, state and local government solar guidelines, as well as land lease guides online.

“Hopefully, through our research we can form policy, meaning we can gather the data, we can show there’s a benefit, we can show there’s a farmer/landowner benefit and we can help create incentives. We can help make things easier if agrivoltaic practices are implemented,” Tatum said.

“Illinois already has an agrivoltaic preference point. When you apply for a solar project, you get a preference point on your application if you’re incorporating an agrivoltaic.

“If we can build on that in Illinois and we can keep this land in production, we can create opportunities for new and current farmers and keep moving the needle forward.”