An agrivoltaic setup in southern Ontario. (U. Jamil), CC BY

Solar farm projects in the Canadian province of Alberta have been put on hold or cancelled because of a recent increase in regulations in the province. The new regulations ban solar panels from agricultural land and force solar developers to fully fund decommissioning upfront.

As a result, many originally profitable projects have been made unfeasible because of rules aimed at preventing a repeat of the orphaned oil and gas wells fiasco.

Agrivoltaics is the practice of purposefully shading agricultural crop lands with solar panels in order to enjoy the dual benefits of solar electricity and increased food production.

A new study I co-authored with my colleague, Uzair Jamil, found that partial shading to benefit crop production even works when the solar panels do not. This has interesting policy ramifications, particularly in Alberta.

How does shading crops make more food?

Studies from all over the world have shown crop yields increase when food crops are partially shaded with solar panels. Agrivoltaic yield increases are possible because of the microclimate created underneath the solar panels that conserves water and protects plants from excess sun, wind, hail and soil erosion. The temperatures are cooler, milder and all around more pleasant for plants.

Last year, we found that you could increase strawberry yield by 18 per cent under solar panels compared to strawberries in an open field. This agrivoltaic crop yield bump has been shown for dozens of other crops and solar panel combinations all over the world, including basil, broccoli, celery, corn, grapes, kale, lettuce, pasture grass, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and more.

Agrivoltaics makes more food per acre, and could help bring down food prices while also supporting farmers in Canada. Such agrivoltaic farming can help meet Canada’s food and energy needs and reduce its fossil fuel reliance and greenhouse gas emissions as well as the rest of the world.

Our new study shows that the microclimate that benefits plants beneath agrivoltaics is maintained even when the solar is not generating any electricity.

We analyzed the lifespans of key agrivoltaic system components, experimentally measuring microclimate impacts of two agrivoltaic arrays. The results showed agrivoltaics still benefit crops even when unpowered.

What about Alberta?

Agrivoltaics also benefits renewable energy companies, farmers and everyone who eats food. However, to ensure “proper” site restoration after solar projects are complete, Alberta law demands land is returned to its original undisturbed state.

The newly passed Alberta’s Conservation and Reclamation Regulation makes it incumbent on the renewable energy developers to submit financial security. Specifically, new solar projects are required to post 30 per cent of the estimated security amount, while the projects already in operation are required to pay 15 per cent.

The comparison to orphaned oil and gas wells with a remediation cost estimates of $100 billion prompted preemptive legislation targeting solar farms, but is that fear justified?

Agrivoltaics could serve as a potential exception to solar photovoltaic development on agricultural land in Alberta, which is otherwise effectively not permitted.

Moving forward with agrivoltaics in Alberta

To ensure Agrivoltaics co-exist well with farming, Alberta mandates agricultural impact assessments before solar panels are installed, but it offers little guidance on how to optimize their co-use.

Some flexibility emerges through the assessment process, but it is not consistently built into infrastructure regulations.

In addition, Canadian zoning laws do not recognize agrivoltaics as a distinct land-use classification. That means that while provincial legislation might allow for agrivoltaics development, no explicit regulations are available.

To make things more clear for both farmers and financial backers, Canada could benefit from looking to other countries that have agrivoltaic legislation, such as France and Italy, to ensure land is being used in the most efficient way possible.

Experimental results from our research indicate that the shade provided by solar panels moderates soil temperatures and enhances soil moisture. Agrivoltaic systems, even when not used for power generation, can continue to deliver meaningful value for farmers through shading.

Government policy must adapt to this dual-use reality. Alberta’s current rules not only hurt the solar industry but also prevent farmers from making use of agrivoltaic infrastructure to help them grow more food for all of us.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Joshua M. Pearce, Western University

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Joshua M. Pearce has received funding for research from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Mitacs, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). In addition, his past and present consulting work and research are funded by the United Nations, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, many non-profits and for-profit companies in the energy and solar photovoltaic fields. He is a founding member of Agrivoltaics Canada. He does not directly work for any solar manufacturer and has no direct conflicts of interest.