Dormant plants at Jack’s Solar Farm near Longmont grow in microclimates created by shading solar panels that also direct rain toward plants that need more moisture. (Tyler Hickman, Special to The Colorado Sun)
At sites around the country, fields, farms and green forests are reduced to gravel lots to make way for utility-scale solar plants. In some cases, carefully cut Kentucky Bluegrass is allowed to grow under the panels.
Just off Hover Road south of Longmont, a solar project is breaking that mold. Salt grasses, berry bushes, vegetables and hay flourish between the rows of elevated photovoltaic panels. Jack’s Solar Garden is the largest active commercial research facility in the United States for “agrivoltaics,” a land-use model that combines agriculture with solar energy. In just a few hectares, the site grows produce for a local farm, produces enough electricity to power 300 homes and hosts researchers from three separate institutions. The project preserves the tradition of the land, which is a third-generation hay operation. At the same time, it is well positioned for a future in which Colorado’s energy needs are increasingly met by renewable sources.
The idea behind agrivoltaics is simple: use the “empty” space under the solar panels to grow things. However, the concept is still young. Agrivoltaic and research sites are owned and operated by a few lawyers in the country. During this legislative session, two Colorado senators plan to introduce a bill that could position the state as a leader in agrovoltaic research.
This is not the first time that the topic has been brought to the state. In 2021, Senate Democrats passed Senate Bill 235, which provides $3 million in funding for Colorado’s Advanced Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency program. Of this, a small part was allocated to the purchase of equipment for agrovoltaic operations.
“We are not the first state to recognize agrivoltaics, but we are the first state to establish agrivoltaics in statute, as well as funding from state funds,” said Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis, the first sponsor of the project.
Jaquez Lewis credits Jack’s Solar Garden for his interest in agrivoltaics. After visiting the facility, located in her district and only 10 minutes away from her home, she was hooked.
A year later, the agrivoltaics appeared in the Capitol once again. Senate Bill 22-138, sponsored by Denver Democrat Chris Hansen, did not go as far as its predecessor. Five years of funding for agrovoltaic research has been proposed with a mix of policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado. House Republicans mounted a last-second filibuster, killing the legislation.
This story first appeared in Colorado Sunday, a premium magazine newsletter for members.
Experience the best in Colorado news at a slower pace, with thoughtful articles, unique adventures and a reading list that’s perfect for a Sunday morning.
So far, every funding bill for agrivoltaics has been supported primarily by Democrats. In 2023, a Republican lawmaker from Alamosa intends to change that. Senator Cleave Simpson first became interested in agrivoltaics as a potential solution to the problems his family faced on their 800-acre alfalfa farm. Years of water scarcity have made the operation financially tenuous.
“I’m trying to figure out how to make my farm self-sufficient in many respects — energy, soil health and water,” Simpson said. “All these things come together in this conversation around agrivoltaic.”
Simpson predicts that his constituents share his interest in the new technology. Over the past two decades, he has seen nearby farms and ranches struggle to stay afloat.
“If the next 20 years are anything like the last 20 years from a water supply perspective, there’s probably 100,000 acres in the valley that doesn’t have an adequate water supply,” he said. “The whole community’s economy, culture and community are built around irrigated agriculture and I just see this freight train going down the track. I’m regularly looking for solutions.”
At its heart, agrivoltaics is a marriage of traditional land use with future infrastructure. Instead of uprooting crops to make way for energy production, landowners could adapt the agricultural operations of the time to incorporate a second source of income.
“The economy is certainly the biggest driving factor,” Simpson said. “I don’t want to risk the economic viability of my family farm and the future of my son and the future of my grandson.”
On Tuesday, Democratic Governor Jared Polis reiterated his goal for Colorado to generate 100% of its electricity through renewables by 2040 in his fifth year of the State of the State. The goal is part of a broader effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado. Last year, major utilities, including Xcel Energy, submitted clean energy plans to the state detailing how they would contribute to the transition.
Microclimates
For a farmer, the potential value of an agrovoltaic project is twofold. First, there is the solar energy itself, which the farm can use to power its operations or generate revenue through a lease agreement from a solar developer. This may interest you : NREL-led breakthrough pushes perovskite cell to greater stability, efficiency. The second potential benefit is more difficult to quantify.
As the sun moves across the sky, the panels of Jack’s Solar Garden trace their course along a single axis. Below them, a shadow moves across the ground and rainwater is deposited along the descending edge of each panel. Before the farm became a sun garden, each square foot received roughly the same amount of sun and moisture. Now, the field is divided into a series of “microclimates”.
This concept is central to the alleged benefits of agrivoltaics. Different conditions on the same land increase the opportunity to grow different crops. In grasslands, agrivoltaic installations could promote more diverse plants, insect pollinators and soil microbiota – essential elements for long-term sustainability.
“For the landowners here, if you can increase productivity across the board – great. If you can keep productivity the same – great, because you’re also creating energy,” said Colorado State University doctoral student and agrovoltaic researcher Matt Sturchio . “If you can slightly reduce productivity, but increase biodiversity and also resistance to climate extremes like drought and heat waves – win-win again, right?”
LEFT: Crops grown in Jack’s Solar Garden include native buffalo, which fix nitrogen in the soil. The berries are edible, used in jams and herbal remedies. RIGHT: It took Jack’s Solar Garden founder Byron Kominek three years to convince Boulder County officials to let him build the solar array that now provides enough electricity to power 300 homes. Now that crops are grown under the panels, the garden also functions as the nation’s largest agrovoltaic research project. (Tyler Hickman, Special to The Colorado Sun)
TOP: Crops grown in Jack’s Solar Garden include native buffalo, which fix nitrogen in the soil. The berries are edible, used in jams and herbal remedies. BOTTOM: It took Jack’s Solar Garden founder Byron Kominek three years to convince Boulder County officials to let him build the solar array that now provides enough electricity to power 300 homes. Now that crops are grown under the panels, the garden also functions as the nation’s largest agrovoltaic research project. (Tyler Hickman, Special to The Colorado Sun)
The idea that solar panels could help crops survive drought is an alluring concept in the arid farmlands throughout Colorado and the desert Southwest. Water is still in short supply, and evidence is growing that agrovoltaic operations could help. A 2019 study led by University of Arizona researcher Greg Barron-Gafford found that jalapeños and tomatoes used irrigation water more efficiently under the protective shade of photovoltaic panels at an outdoor field site. of Tucson. At Jack’s solar garden, partner organization Sprout City Farms grows vegetables, herbs and berries under shade panels.
Researchers like Sturchio hope that similar benefits could play out in native grasslands, hay fields and pastures. In addition to shade plants, the panels could provide shelter for animals from the midday sun.
Soon, a private sector project will put the theory to the test. In August, Delta County commissioners approved the Garnet Mesa Solar Project, which will pair 80 megawatts of solar capacity with 1,000 local sheep. When finished, it will be more than 60 times larger than Jack’s Solar Garden, reclaiming the title of the state’s largest agrivolatic facility.
Scaling up
Alexis Pascaris, the founding director of AgriSolar Consulting, has spent countless hours interviewing farmers about their views on agrivoltaics. Read also : New England Solar Power: A Guide to Solar Energy in These 6 States. They generally fall into two camps.
“It’s either ‘stay off my farmland’ or ‘it’s amazing, how can I take advantage of those benefits to support my farm and my production?'” he said. Farmers who are interested want to know one thing. “They value the “social and environmental attributes, but, at the end of the day, we have to write financially”.
This logic was at the heart of the impetus for Jack’s Solar Garden. In 2016, Byron Kominek moved to the family farm after five years as an American diplomat in southern Africa. At that time, the farm was producing hay. But the margins on the crop were slim compared to when Kominek’s grandfather, Jack, ran the operation in the 1970s and ’80s.
“Haying was interesting, but he didn’t do anything for money,” Kominek said. “And every year we were getting less and less water to irrigate that really thirsty bromegrass.”
When Kominek went to the Boulder County Department of Land Use to ask if he could build a solar array on the property, they shot him down. He could run a Christmas tree farm or an equestrian center, but they wouldn’t allow him solar panels. No matter what grows under the panels, the project was seen as a power plant.
Kominek is an unusually persistent person. Over the course of three years, he convinced county officials to let Jack’s Solar Garden be built and sell shares of the operation to local landowners. Now, the income from the electricity produced in the farm is slowly draining the bank loan that financed the construction, and Kominek has become a prominent advocate in the problem.
For many, Jack’s Solar Garden is a model for what is possible with agrivoltaics. Kominek hopes it’s a catalyst for something bigger. “Are we going to continue with projects the size of mine, or are we going to start installing systems of 10 megawatts, 50 megawatts, 100 plus megawatts that are intended for agrivoltaics?” he said.
Other agrovoltaic advocates agree. For Sturchio, a large-scale project combined with state funding could take his research to an unprecedented scale.
“How many sites are built for agrivoltaics, and how many have kept the land intact? Not many,” he said. “More money is important to build bigger designs.”
They value social and environmental attributes, but, at the end of the day, it’s got to pencil financially.
– Alexis Pascaris, founding director of AgriSolar Consulting
Simpson hopes that large-scale agrovoltaic projects could provide an example for farmers like his constituents in the San Luis Valley. “I visited Jack’s Solar Garden last summer and spent time with Byron. It’s quite impressive to see what he has accomplished, from my perspective, on a small scale,” he said. “I need to be able to do it on 120 or 160 acres at a time and, you know, do it 50 times, or 100 times.”
Two things stand in the way of grand visions for large-scale agrovoltaic projects. The first is physical. Large-scale renewable energy projects require high-capacity transmission lines. Xcel’s Power Pathway project will bring this type of infrastructure to much of eastern Colorado in the coming years, but places like the San Luis Valley are lagging behind.
☀ READ MORE COLORADO SUNDAY
“All the supply for the San Luis Valley comes from two lines that generate the north of the valley and come over Poncha Pass,” Simpson said.
Valley legislators have long discussed a second line in the valley from the east, but there is no concrete plan to expand the transmission infrastructure. For now, new renewable projects are limited by capacity.
The second obstacle is financial. Colorado’s general fund will be stretched next year, as the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights (TABOR) limit on state revenues lags behind inflation. Even if Simpson and Hansen’s bill passes, it may not be funded for another year.
“It’s really challenging this year to try to appropriate every dollar for it,” Simpson said. “We can at least get statutory authority.”
Meanwhile, six Department of Energy-funded projects in other states will test the viability of utility-scale agrivoltaics in different climates and land use categories. As of now, Jack’s Solar Garden has established Colorado as a leader in the field. If the state wants to maintain that status, it will need to scale.
Pourquoi un onduleur hybride ?
The hybrid inverter Depending on the settings, it is able to determine by itself whether the electricity produced must be used immediately, stored in a battery, or injected into the network. The enclosure can be connected to the generator set to provide backup power in the event of a power outage.
How to choose a hybrid inverter? Your inverter must reach a power of about 80% of your solar installation. For example, your installation is 6 kWc, the inverter must have an ambient power of 4.8 kVA. You can therefore opt for a 5kVA inverter.
How to pair two inverters? It’s very simple because the connectors prevent you from going wrong. For the station at the beginning of the chain, you start from the connector on the right of the microinverter and connect it to the connector on the left of the microinverter on the second panel, and so on.
Does solar energy work in Colorado?
According to SunPower, the state of Colorado is one of the best states for solar energy. The site indicates that 86% of Colorado’s buildings are viable from the sun with the ability to produce 24.7 million megawatt-hours each year.
How long do solar panels last in Colorado? The answer may come as a surprise to some, but the average life of most solar panels is between 25-30 years, but quality equipment can last 40 years. During this life, solar panels have a degradation rate of
Will Colorado pay for solar panels? The federal government will not pay you to install solar panels, and neither will the State of Colorado. But there are still a number of reasons to go in the sun in Colorado, as well as many options to reduce the cost.
Is solar in Colorado worth it? In most cases, yes! Colorado is a great place to convert to solar because of the affordability of the equipment and the relatively small system size needed to offset the utility bills. The average CO homeowner will spend about $20,175 for their solar panel system or $14,122 after the federal tax credit.
What are the 2 main disadvantages of solar energy?
Disadvantages of solar energy
- The high initial costs of installing panels. The most commonly cited disadvantage of solar energy, cost, is decreasing as the industry expands. …
- Solar energy storage is expensive. …
- Solar does not work for every type of roof. …
- Solar panels depend on sunlight.
What is the negative effect of solar energy? The potential environmental impact associated with solar energy—land use and habitat loss, water use, and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing—can vary greatly depending on the technology, which includes two broad categories: solar photovoltaic (PV) cells or concentrated solar thermal power plants (CSP).
What are 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of solar energy?
What farm product is heavily subsidized by the US government?
What are US farm subsidies? For the most part, the US government subsidizes only five major crops grown by farmers: corn, soybeans, corn, cotton, and rice. Other subsidies include small amounts for other crops such as peanuts, sorghum and mohair, while milk and sugar producers have their own price and market controls.
What products does the US government subsidize? The United States government grants subsidies to many industries including oil, agriculture, housing, agricultural exports, automobiles, and health care. Some economists oppose government subsidies, believing they end up doing more harm than good in the long run.
What is highly subsidized agriculture? Agricultural subsidies in general are calculated as the combination of monetary contributions, price guarantees or infrastructural aid from the government to farmers, as well as price moderation that benefits consumers by lowering prices for them.
What does the US government subsidize the most? While many industries receive government subsidies, three of the biggest beneficiaries are energy, agriculture and transportation.
Which of the following crops are heavily subsidized by the government?
The federal government has long subsidized American farmers, significantly affecting our food supply and what we eat. The most subsidized crops – corn, soybeans, wheat and rice – are the most productive and the most consumed, often in the form of ultra-processed foods.
What is subsidized corn? An agricultural subsidy (also called agricultural incentive) is a government incentive paid to agribusinesses, agricultural organizations and farmers to supplement their incomes, manage the supply of agricultural goods and influence the cost and supply of such commodities.
What is the most subsidized crop? Currently, five commodity crops are particularly subsidized by the US government – corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice. There are other programs for sugar and dairy farmers. Meat producers benefit indirectly through subsidized prices, below the cost of animal feed.
What is the largest solar farm in Colorado?
At 150 MW, Comanche Solar in Pueblo is among the largest solar installations in Colorado. Completed by Community Energy in 2016, this solar project has enough electrical capacity to power more than 30,339 homes.
What is the biggest solar panel farm? Bhadla Solar Park is the largest solar farm in the world. The facility, which covers an area of 14000 acres, is located in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. The solar farm has a capacity of 2.25 GW and required an estimated investment of more than 1.3 billion dollars.
What is the largest solar farm in the United States? Solar Star, Kern, and Los Angeles County Solar Star is the largest solar farm in the United States. When the farm was created in June 2015, it was the largest solar farm in the world. Solar Start has 1.7 million solar panels spread over 13 square miles in Kern and Los Angeles County, California.
How big is the Travers solar farm? UNDER CONSTRUCTION – Developed by greengate The Travers Solar Project is being developed on approximately 3,330 acres of land located eight miles southwest of the Village of Lomond in Vulcan County. The Project area has a strong solar resource and will generate clean energy over its 35-year life.
How many solar farms are in Colorado?
| Description | Status |
|---|---|
| Solar Companies in the State | 354 Solar Companies (34 Manufacturers, 173 Installers and Developers, and 147 Others) |
| Solar Jobs Created | 6,771 |
| Total Solar Investment in the State | $4.3 billion |
| Out-of-Pocket Cost for a 5 kWh system | $13,515-$18,285 |
Which states have the most solar farms? California has by far the largest installed solar photovoltaic capacity of any US state. By Q2 2022, the Golden State had a cumulative solar power capacity of more than 37 gigawatts. Texas followed with a capacity of about 15 gigawatts.
How many solar companies are in Colorado?
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the state has nearly 160 solar installers.
How many homes are solar in Colorado? Nearly 300,000 homes in the state are powered by solar panels. With these statistics, Colorado is ranked 12th in the nation for solar energy. The solar industry has invested more than $3.797 billion in Colorado.
Which state has the most solar companies? 1. California In addition, the state has invested more than $73 billion in solar technology with tax incentives and property tax exemptions for residents who install solar panels. There are more than 2,000 solar companies in the state and more than 8 million homes powered by solar energy.