As California gets drier, solar panels could help farms save water

Agrivoltaics are still rare in CA, but experts say the shade they provide could be a game-changer in a state where many farms are struggling to plan for a future with limited groundwater.

Satellite imagery of Topaz Solar Farm, a massive solar installation inland from San Luis Obispo in Central California, depicts an oasis of blue panels surrounded by sun-scorched earth. The images do not capture, however, the thousands of sheep hard at work under the panels, eating the non-native grasses and reducing the threat of wildfire.

The operation benefits everyone involved: Sheep farmer Frankie Iturriria gets paid for his time, the collaborating rangeland researchers are breaking ground, and the landowner BHE Renewables can maintain the property with sheep, which have less impact and are more cost-effective than mowers or other livestock. But the farm is one of relatively few examples of agrivoltaics—or combined agriculture and photovoltaic array systems—on private land in California, where the technology has been surprisingly slow to gain visibility and traction.

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Source: Civil Eats

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