Developing crop-based agrivoltaic systems

A case study of Jack’s Solar Garden

Abstract

Solar developers seek agricultural lands as sites for new projects because of their high suitability for energy generation, and a growing number of farm­ers are interested in selling or leasing their land to developers as a form of financial diversification. However, many local governments and communi­ties perceive the development of solar energy on farmland as a threat to the rural landscape, moti­vating enactment of restrictive solar energy land use policies. Agrivoltaics, the co-production of agriculture and solar energy on the same parcel of land, is increasingly proposed as a solution to the single-use nature of solar energy development in rural landscapes. Agrivoltaic systems featuring crop production may provide a range of benefits for farmers and local food systems, but they are uncommon in practice. This article presents a mixed-methods case study of Jack’s Solar Garden (JSG), a crop-based agrivoltaic site in Colorado, U.S., to explore why a farmer might pursue a crop-based agrivoltaic system, what challenges are involved in project development and maintenance, and what benefits such a project may yield for both a farm and a local food system. Utilizing inter­views, document analysis, and media analysis, we find that crop-based agrivoltaic systems can serve as an acceptable compromise between farmers and local government while providing a wide range of community benefits. We emphasize the importance of public-private partnerships for the effective implementation of crop-based agrivoltaic systems and close with insights for potential agrivoltaic practitioners and suggestions for further research.