4 FAQs about Farmland can be used to build solar power stations

Can solar power be used on farmland?

Joshua Pearce and Ethan Winter lead efforts to understand the impact and encourage large-scale solar power generation on farmland. Agrivoltaics, a relatively new term, unites cropping practices and solar panels on the same fields. Installed solar panels can provide a perennial electrical energy harvest, feeding directly into the power grid.

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.

Will agricultural land be used for solar energy?

Agricultural land in the U.S. has the technical potential to provide 27 terawatts of solar energy capacity. This is a quarter of the total U.S. solar energy capacity of 115 TW. Only 0.3% of farmland is expected to be used for solar energy by 2035. Will using land for solar panels drive up the price of food?

Can agrivoltaics be used on the same farmland?

Krisy Gashler is a writer for the College of Arts and Sciences. David Nutt contributed to this report. The process of combining agricultural production and solar panels on the same farmland, known as agrivoltaics, has seen a great leap in Cornell research activity.

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