New technology could combine land for farming and solar

Solar power is now the cheapest form of energy but it still faces public resistance as people claim panels take up valuable space which could be used for farming.  

The issue has recently become topical in the UK, as former prime minister Liz Truss launched plans to block solar projects from building on most farmland. Ministers have now confirmed this will not go ahead.  

New technology could offer a solution to reassure both sides by using land for farming and solar panels at the same time in a practice called agrivolatics.  

‘There are many benefits to co-locating solar panels and agriculture on the same plot of land. There is an increased need for renewable energy, while agricultural land continues to decrease,’ said Tyler Swanson, a student in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE) at the University of Illinois. ‘When you’re able to find a technology where you can put these uses together, you may reduce the overall potential that either technology could have on its own, but you still get a better total outcome. It can also be a very good financial diversification for the farmer.’  

Solar panels work best with grazing farm animals, as it can be difficult to find crops which thrive under panels, whereas animals, like sheep, are cohabitate with them.  

 ‘The sheep don’t really care about hanging wires or poles; as far as I know there’s never been an issue where the sheep have caused structural damage to the solar panels. They mostly just go around, eat the grass, sleep and lay under the panels during the day when it’s hot outside. They save the solar developer money, because there is no longer a need to hire a mowing company to trim the vegetation,’ Swanson said. 

However, taxation and planning regulations could hold projects like this back, an issue that the U of I studied, focusing on the obstacles in the USA.  

Researchers found the development of agrivolatics usually leads to land no longer being classed as agricultural, resulting in higher taxes and fiscal penalties for violating zoning orders.  

The study authors hope there will be a shift to incentivise agrivolatics, rather than penalise them, as scientists are clear that we must rely on renewable energy more and leave fossil fuels behind.  

Photo by Raphael Cruz