Sunrise brief: Which crops pair well with solar?
Also on the rise: Ossoff bill would address cost burden of rooftop solar to low- to middle-income customers, and $13 million in seed round funding for a solar module-mounted storage solution.
Which crops pair well with solar? Illinois study aims to find out
Rapidly falling price of solar panels has created an impetus for the construction of solar fields, which is often perceived as competing with crop production.
Sunrise brief: Big financial win means more clean energy investments from NY Green Bank
Also on the rise: Getting to net-zero carbon by 2050 will be a steep climb, report says; Walmart signs on as anchor for community solar; and BlueWave aims to develop floatovoltaic projects.
Researchers develop a novel design for agrivoltaics
The design uses metal brackets as mounting structures, conventional solar panels, and a grooved glass plate placed between the solar panels. System costs would be around $847/kW.
Farmers opting for solar leases over carbon sequestration contracts
In a recent Purdue University survey, farmers reported adopting solar leases at more than double the rate of carbon sequestration plans as a much higher price-per-acre was offered.
Solar makes a lot of sense at ground level, too
Solar projects that support native grasses can sequester more carbon than cropland alone. And about all that corn for ethanol.
Minnesota is primed to turn a page on the conflict between solar growth and farmland preservation
Proposed legislation could better balance the goals of solar developers to add capacity in prime resource zones, which also overlap some of the state’s best farmland.
Sunrise brief: Tesla shifts battery chem for its Megapack energy storage system
Also on the rise: Ameren and Habitat for Humanity add solar in St. Louis, NextEra and National Grid win an early OK for a solar project, and grazing boosters look for more economic baa-in for sheep and bees at solar facilities.
Pattern of ‘decide-announce-defend’ for rural solar must change, researchers say
Meeting clean energy goals means that more projects will be proposed for agricultural land, making it necessary for developers to better engage with local communities.
With no electric pickup trucks available, Inovateus Solar switches to horses and carriages to maintain its sustainability commitment
Working with local horse breeders, Inovateus will lease 10 horses with 10 custom flat-bed horse carriages for its sales team and solar project managers.
