Impact of Agrivoltaics
These two Michigan utilities argued that state law doesn't need to change to allow community solar, instead prompting their own programs as more cost-effective.
Who are DTE and Consumers Energy?
These agrovoltaic projects provide low-cost vegetation management to solar developers.
What is sheep grazing?
As defined by Ethan Winter, building agricultural resilience, pathways for new farmers, and a system that does not create a trade-off between energy and food by combining a solar farm with agrarian farming.
What is Agrivoltaics?
One or two solar panels that hang over a balcony
What is Plug-In Solar?
Production of marketable agriculture and intentional design of solar panels in agrovoltaic projects.
What are AFT's two key features?
Farmers are often motivated to adopt agrivoltics because it provides this additional source of money
What is supplemental/discretionary income?
Use of this has the greatest negative impact on requirements for supporting native pollinators with vegetative management.
What is planned on-site use of insecticides or pre-planting seed/plant treatment?
Projects that work to leave the least impact on land during solar devolpment and promotes using the same land for farming and solar.
What is SmartSolar?
Plug-In Solar has taken off in this country with more than a million units deployed.
What is Germany?
Solar energy projects must be enrolled in this long-term agreement/policy in order to keep their land in agricultural or open space use.
What is PA 116?
Agrivoltaics can protect this vital natural resource by reducing erosion and improving retention under solar arrays.
What is soil and water?
The use of this has the greatest negative impact on requirements for supporting native pollinators through vegetative management.
What is planned on-site use of insecticide or pre-planning/plant treatment?
In Michigan, ____ are requirred on the site of large-scale solar devolpments on agricultural land. Guidlelines for this can be determined by a point system.
What are pollinator habitats?
Plug-in solar provides enough power to charge this electronic device
What is a laptop?
This bill would have allowed for the creation of bill credits for solar and financing of solar This bill would have allowed for the creation of bill credits for solar and financing of solar facilities.
What is Senate Bill 152?
Less than 5% of U.S. Solar Capacity
What share of U.S. Solar Capacity is currently agrivoltic?
Incorporating water and soil considerations into these three concepts are crucial for protecting soil health, carbon stocks, agricultural productivity, and the upkeep of farmland.
What is construction, operation and decommissioning?
This system allows credit to be given to solar energy system owners who give their excess solar energy to the grid.
What is Net Metering?
The three primary reasons the US hasnt adopted plug-in solar the way other countries have.
What is lack of awareness, patchwork utilities and limited avalibility?
Policies recommend building on ____ land to maximize land use across the country.
What is contaminated/marginal land?
"This type of solar project can make farms financially productive, add business stability, support retirement, and create inheritance opportunities for children."
What is Community Solar?
The best practices of protecting water and soil are based on these health principles.
What are the USDA Natural Resource Conservation soil health principles?
"_____ contains the conditions required to allow commercial solar power array" Here, the objective is to address competeting land use issues.
What is the Amended Farmland Devolpment Rights Agreement?
This bill exempts portable solar devices from state regulations that require owners of rooftop solar arrays and other power-generating systems to sign an interconnection agreement with local utility
What is HB 340?
Many programs/policies will provide tax reductions, exemptions, and locally granted programs in order to encourage the building of agrovoltaic projects.
What is incentivizing agrovoltaic projects?