Growing a Sustainable Future: The Role of Agrivoltaics in California’s Water-Energy-Food Nexus - Livestream

Agrivoltaics is the co-location of solar panels on agricultural lands that results in the co-production of agricultural products and electricity. Globally, it is a growing area of research that has the potential to address challenges in the water-energy-food nexus. In the US, there has been a recent expansion of research into the compatibility of various crops with a range of solar panel designs. Understanding crop-panel interactions is critical to simultaneously maximizing crop yield and energy yield, while gaining other benefits like increased water use efficiency. However, to date, there has been limited investment in agrivoltaics research or development in California, despite California being a leader in both agriculture and solar energy production. This panel of experts will discuss the potential for development, challenges, and benefits of agrivoltaics in California.

Key questions that the briefing aims to discuss:

1. What impact could agrivoltaics have in all three domains of the water-energy-food nexus in California? What tradeoffs need to be considered at scale?
2. How would including agrivoltaics in environmental and land use planning affect progress toward California’s zero emission energy goals?
3. What factors must be considered when assessing viability of agrivoltaics at scale across different regions of California? Would crop type and panel design need to be different among regions?
4. What does installing photovoltaic systems on farmland require, and how might farmer decisions and behaviors change after installing an agrivoltaic system?

Karen Ross
Secretary of the California Department of Food & Agriculture

Panelists:

Majdi Abou Najm, UC Davis

Jordan Macknick, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Ranjitha Shivaram, Stanford