(The Center Square) – As solar farms continue to pop up around Illinois, research is underway to successfully combine agriculture and renewable energy.
The concept is called agrivoltaics, a combination of the words agriculture and photovoltaics, which is the process of converting light into electricity. Currently, solar farms and corn and soybean fields do not co-exist in Illinois.
The American Farmland Trust estimates over 80% of new solar development built in the coming decades will take place on farmland.
Dennis Bowman, Extension Digital Agriculture Specialist with the University of Illinois Extension, said on an Everyday Environment podcast that it bothers him to lose valuable farm ground to a solar farm.
“Growing crops is something that I’ve spent most of my career helping farmers do a better job of, and seeing the best farm ground in the world being turned into solar farms somewhat hurts my soul,” said Bowman.
Bowman is taking part in a research project called Scapes, which stands for Sustainably Colocating Agricultural and Photovoltaic Electricity Systems.
Bowman said pollinating plants can be grown under and around solar panels, but the fields can also be used for grazing.
“By doing a managed forage system underneath the solar panels and just grazing that with sheep, which have shown the most promise,” said Bowman. “Goats can be a little aggressive, and cattle need the panels raised a little higher, which is more expensive.”
Agrivoltaics is happening already, primarily in China and Europe, but it is also taking place in parts of the Midwest and east coast.
