UMD Research Links Communication With Farmers’ Support for Solar Power

Growing food and energy side-by-side by placing solar panel arrays in farm fields can reduce water needs, help some crops by offering partial shade, enrich and protect soil, and offer another source of income for farmers. They also help resolve a pressing challenge: the competition for space between food and energy needs.   

But what do key stakeholders think of this emerging practice, known as agrivoltaics? University of Maryland Global FEWture Alliance member and Department of Environmental Science and Technology Associate Professor Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman published a team paper this month that stresses the importance of seeking community input before siting new technologies like agrivoltaics, since the success of a project often hinges on local support. 

His team held a series of stakeholder workshops in Arizona that included farmers, solar developers, energy providers, food advocates, community leaders and scientists. “This allows us to help build communication, trust and a community of practice while we are also answering our research questions,” said Pavao-Zuckerman. “And of course, sharing food is a part of it. This workshop culminated with a farm-to-table dinner that featured ingredients grown at our agrivoltaic research farms.”

The paper offers potential for developing small, farmer-owned agrivoltaic systems that enhance nutritious food access and education for host communities. But agrivoltaics change the look of rural areas, and public support can depend on numerous factors like ownership, farm size and the scale of the system.   

Pavao-Zuckerman and his team have also advised Montgomery County, Md., planners on social perceptions of agrivoltaic adoption, as Maryland’s farmers look to more integrated, productive solutions for the 2 million farmed acres in the state. 

“By engaging in conversations with local communities, we learned about farmer and resident apprehensions about agrivoltaics and identified actionable solutions to support some proof-of-concept projects of this new technology in Montgomery County.”