How can farmers benefit from solar energy?

Farmers can benefit from solar energy in several ways—by leasing farmland for solar; installing a solar system on a house, barn, or other building; or through agrivoltaics. Agrivoltaics is defined as agriculture, such as crop production, livestock grazing, and pollinator habitat, located underneath solar panels and/or between rows of solar panels.

Can solar panels be used on farms?

Installing solar panels on farms helps solve another major problem: finding the space to collect enough sunlight to produce a bounty of electricity. Farmers can help by sharing their land, says Jordan Macknick. An environmental scientist, he works at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL. It’s in Golden, Colo.

Are solar panels a good idea for farmers?

Emerging data, he says, show that even as the solar panels go in overhead, farmers must protect the natural processes that help plants grow. “That can do a lot of good,” he says. “Otherwise, it’s really hard to cheat nature.” Agrivoltaics merges agriculture with photovoltaic panels, which generate electricity from sunlight.

Should farmers use solar energy to grow crops?

Getting the most out of your land doesn’t have to be solely a function of the crops you plant anymore. As solar technologies continue to evolve, a new option has become available to farmers that supports the growth of crops while also harvesting and selling the sun’s energy at the same time.

Should you install solar energy on your farm?

Known as agrivoltaics (or Agri-PV), a solar energy installation on your farm can possibly provide you an additional revenue stream, and many farms worldwide take advantage of this dual land-use approach.

Can solar power be used for agriculture?

In utility-scale operations, PV panels are usually installed low to the ground and in dense formations, maximizing the amount of land for converting the sun’s energy into electricity for the grid. Agriculture is harder within this design—but not impossible.