Sheep To Defend US Solar Industry With Agrivoltaic Projects – CleanTechnica

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The US kicked itself off the Paris Agreement on climate change again, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a wet blanket has been cast over the entire domestic solar industry. One development of particular interest is a new solar-plus-farming collaboration aimed at establishing standards for agrivoltaic projects here in the US, with a knock-on impact aimed at accelerating the global agrivoltaic movement.

Agrivoltaic Projects & The Sheep Factor

Agrivoltaics is a relatively new field that involves conducting farm activities within a solar array. Although solar panels cast shade, researchers have begun assembling evidence that certain plants can thrive in the cooling microclimate created by the panels. In return, vegetation provides a cooling environment that helps improve solar conversion efficiency in the panels.

The initial phase of agrivoltaic experimentation began emerging just a few years ago, when solar developers and farmers collaborated to establish pollinator habitats to support nearby crops. More recently the agrivoltaic field has expanded to include food crops and native habitat restoration. In particular, livestock grazing has gained a firm foothold in the agrivoltaic field, partly because grazing animals help reduce the expense of mowing. They add valuable nutrients to the soil, too.

Although some solar projects host goats or cattle, goats have a tendency to climb on things, and the large size of cattle can be an obstacle. That explains why sheep have emerged as the animal of choice in the rapidly expanding industry of solar grazing.

ABC News Spreads The Agrivoltaic Message

CleanTechnica has been covering the growth of the “solar grazing” phenomenon on a regular basis, and it’s really gratifying to see legacy media pick up on the trend for wider audiences (see more solar grazing background here).

On January 19 ABC News posted a report from Nadia Lathan of Associated Press, under its “Report for America” series, highlighting the benefits of solar grazing for US farmers.

“The booming solar industry has found an unlikely mascot in sheep as large-scale solar farms crop up across the U.S. and in the plain fields of Texas,” Lathan wrote, taking particular note of a 4,000 acre, 900-megawatt solar grazing operation in Milam County.

“How do they manage all that grass? With the help of about 3,000 sheep, which are better suited than lawnmowers to fit between small crevices and chew away rain or shine,” she added, noting that more than 60 solar grazing projects are currently under way in the US, spread throughout 27 states.

New Collaboration Joins US Solar Industry With Agriculture Industry

Lathan also adds a new detail to the solar grazing story. “Putting the animals to work on solar fields also provides some help to the sheep and wool market, which has struggled in recent years,” she reported, taking a note of a decline in the sheep and lamb population in Texas.

That observation hints of the potential for agrivoltaic projects to benefit the US agricultural sector on an industry-wide basis. The missing link is a recognized system of standards, to provide farmers, solar developers, investors, and other stakeholders with a reliable platform for greenlighting an agrivoltaic project.

As if on cue, last week the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) announced that they have launched a collaborative effort to develop industry standards for agrivoltaic projects.

The initiative, which covers energy storage as well as solar arrays, aims to align the expectations of solar developers and farmers through every stage of an agrivoltaic project, from design and development on through construction.

“Together, we aim to establish comprehensive standards that will advance the field of agrivoltaics and promote sustainable land use,” explains ASAGE executive director Darrin Drollinger.

“Industry standards for agrivoltaics will empower farmers seeking to explore large-scale solar on their properties with lower costs, less risk, and increased market efficiency,” emphasizes SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper.

The collaboration is still in its early stages with a focus on canvassing industry stakeholders to prioritize areas where standardization would yield the most benefits. “One key area that will be immediately addressed is common terminology and definitions across agricultural land-based solar and energy storage projects,” ASABE notes.

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting

If that sounds rather dry, it is. However, in terms of the energy policy of the Trump administration, it is rather juicy. ABASE bills itself as “the leading national and international producer of standards for agricultural systems.”

“ASABE is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to coordinate and develop the US position in fifteen areas of international standards development.”

If you caught that thing about international standards, that’s the money quote. Whatever ASABE does in the US does not stay in the US.

The same goes for SEIA, which is also accredited under the ANSI umbrella. SEIA notes that its current roster of solar standards under development totals 11 projects covering training, recycling, consumer protection, and supply chain transparency as well as solar and energy storage installation. The ASABE collaboration will enable both organizations to play a solid role in the global agrivoltaic movement.

The Global Agrivoltaic Juggernaut Rolls On

It’s too bad that the US has become an unserious nation once again, but that doesn’t mean all 50 states have to hop on the clown car. The agrivoltaic field has already caught the attention of state-based energy policymakers who are banking on the availability of privately owned farmland to continue supporting growth in their solar industries while also throwing an economic lifeline to farmers.

One good example is New Jersey, where a statewide agrivoltaic program seeks to leverage the Garden State’s outsized footprint on the US agriculture industry. “New Jersey outstrips larger states in the production of certain specialty crops and row crops, two areas in which agrivoltaic activity is beginning to ramp up,” CleanTechnica reported last month.  “That includes eggplant (#3 in state rankings), cranberries and asparagus (#4), and blueberries (#5).”

The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has been front and center in the agrivoltaic movement. Their initiatives include the Clean Energy to Communities program, which helps communities plan and build agrivoltaic projects. No word yet on how much progress will occur over the next four years, but the NREL website still includes links to five fact sheets that provide foundational information on key areas of interest:

1. Basics
2. Technical Assistance
3. Groundwork (steps to ensure impact, success, and longevity)
4. Pathway (specific planning and implementation steps)
5. Designs and Configurations (key considerations for farmers)

NREL also provides additional resources through its InSPIRE (Innovative Solar Practices Integrated with Rural Economies and Ecosystems) website. Catch it while you can.

Photo (cropped): The solar grazing phenomenon is taking off like a rocket as more developers incorporate agrivoltaic design into solar arrays on farmland (courtesy of NREL).

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