Agrivoltaics Index | Solar Farm Summit

Policy

Federal 118th Congress

In 2023, two bi-partisan bills were introduced in the US Senate:

S.1778 - Agrivoltaics Research and Demonstration Act of 2023

05/31/2023 Introduced to Senate

Co-Sponsors:

Sen. Mike Braun [R-IN]
Sen. Martin Heinrich [D-NM]

S.2931 - Protecting Future Farmland Act of 2023

09/26/2023 Introduced to Senate

Co-Sponsors:

Sen. Tammy Baldwin [D-WI]
Sen. Chuck Grassley [R-IA]

In 2024, a bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives:

H.R. 7391 - Securing & Understanding Our National Renewable Agriculture Yields Act (SUNRAY)

02/15/2024 Introduced in House

Co-Sponsors:

Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL)
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME)

The House and the Senate proposed first drafts of the Farm Bill. The House bill does not include agrivoltaics while the Senate bill does:

H.R.8467 Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024

05/17/2024 Introduced to the US House of Representatives.

Sponsor: Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA)

S.5335 - Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024

11/18/2024 Introduced to US Senate

Sponsor: Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

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See American Farmland Trust's Smart Solar Policy Recommendations for summaries of the bills, resources, and recommendations.

Check out the AgriSolar Clearinghouse Policy section for guides, sample contracts, and a library of local, state, and national resources.

Events

Bookmark these event calendars to stay tuned in to upcoming agrivoltaics events !

AgriSolar Clearinghouse calendar

American Farmland Trust events

American Solar Grazing Association webinars and monthly calls

ASGA Certified™ Solar Grazing Training Programs

Colorado Agrivoltaics Learning Center Events

DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office events and webinars

Check out our blog for more events

University Research

Universities

University of Alaska Fairbanks

https://www.uaf.edu/acep/projects/agrivoltaics-in-northern-climates-and-rural-north-america.php

The University of Arizona

https://uavip.arizona.edu/agrivoltaics-food-energy-and-water-solutions

https://www.salsav.org/

University of California Davis

https://caes.ucdavis.edu/news/harvesting-light-grow-food-and-clean-energy-together

Colorado State University

https://agsci.colostate.edu/agriculture-csu/agrivoltaics-innovation/

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/agriculture/agrivoltaics-in-colorado-0-306/

Cornell University

https://blogs.cornell.edu/capitalareaagandhortprogram/solar-farms-on-rural-land-in-nys-resources/

University of Illinois Chicago

https://rightofway.erc.uic.edu/phase

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

https://scapes.illinois.edu/

Iowa State University

https://agrivoltaics.research.iastate.edu/

University of Massachusetts Amherst

https://ag.umass.edu/clean-energy/research-initiatives/dual-use-solar-agriculture

University of Minnesota

https://wcroc.cfans.umn.edu/research/dairy

Ohio State University

https://energizeohio.osu.edu/farm-energy-management/utility-scale-solar-development/agrivoltaics-integrating-agricultural-forage

https://energizeohio.osu.edu/farm-solar-energy-development

Oregon State University

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/nwrec/agrivoltaic-project

https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/newsroom/sustainable-farm-agrivoltaic

https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/nwrec

https://oregoncleanpower.coop/solar-harvest/

Penn State

https://extension.psu.edu/agrivoltaics-and-large-scale-solar

https://iee.psu.edu/research/projects/sustainable-and-just-pathways-agrivoltaics-pennsylvania

Purdue University

https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/2024/Q3/validated-simulations-optimize-solar-power-generation-with-row-crops/

Rutgers University

https://agrivoltaics.rutgers.edu/

University of Wisconsin-Madison

https://sustainability.wisc.edu/renewable-energy/kegonsa-research-campus/

Is your university not listed ? Please reach out to us at admin@solarfarmsummit.com to share a link(s) with us that we can add to the list!

Researchers

Check out research presented at the Solar Farm Summit in the Conference Archives from the following pioneers:

- Greg Barron-Gafford, University of Arizona

- Carl Bernacchi, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

- Ben Campbell, University of Illinois Chicago

- Zach Goldberg, Penn State

- Brad Heins, University of Minnesota

- Madhu Khanna, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

- Ray Klein, Iowa State University

- Matt O'Neal, Iowa State University

- Dan Salas, University of Illinois Chicago

- Tyler Swanson, University of Arizona

- Mitch Tunistra, Purdue University

- John Tyndall, Iowa State University

Additionally, you can find research posters from the following universities presented in the SFS23 and SFS24 Poster Galleries, also available in the Conference Archives:

SFS23 Poster Gallery

- University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign

- Penn State University

- University of Arizona

SFS24 Poster Gallery

- Iowa State University

- Virginia State University

- University of Minnesota

- Oregon State University

- The University of Arizona

- University of Vermont

- UC Davis

Find More in this Research Data Portal

Featured Articles

From the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)

"Today, huge opportunities exist for ASABE members to get involved in the production of on-site photovoltaic electricity."

In the article "Agrivoltaics: The Next Chapter in Rural Electrification" published by ASABE in the Nov/Dec 2024 issue of Resource: Engineering and Technology for Sustainable World, Scott Cedarquist highlights the growing opportunities for ASABE members to advance agrivoltaics, which combines agriculture with solar energy production on millions of acres nationwide. He emphasizes the need for technical expertise in site preparation, livestock management, and farming integration, while encouraging involvement in shaping agrivoltaics standards through ASABE initiatives and collaborations with industry leaders.

Read the Article

In FarmProgress

"81.8% of respondents would more likely support solar development in their community if it integrated agricultural production."

"Agrivoltaics: Weighing solar growth and farmland loss" in FarmProgress explores the tension between utility-scale solar development and farmland loss, emphasizing the potential of agrivoltaics—dual-use systems combining solar energy production with agricultural activity—as a solution. While rural communities often resist solar projects due to concerns about environmental and economic impacts, agrivoltaics presents an opportunity to balance solar growth with agricultural preservation.

Read the Article