Are agrivoltaics the future of Indiana’s solar farms?

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  1. It’s a great reminder of dual use being preferable where it makes sense. I would love the roofs of warehouses to have solar before we take away farmland for panels, for instance.
    It’s compelling when the panels cool berries to reduce water usage, so it’s symbiotic, etc.
    I think in the end though, we need to look at the EDG program that makes it all but impossible for the economics of solar to make sense where the energy is not consumed on site.

  2. Agrivoltaics have been tested in the US West for years and have been found to have many benefits, even with the raised panels. This includes lower water usage due to less evaporation, lower temperatures for crops that are affected by heat while also providing farmers with an additional, more steady income. With the relatively inexpensive cost of solar energy versus especially coal, we need to be willing to consider agrivoltaics as an additional source, or even replacement source, for electricity. Improved battery storage systems also contribute to the reliability of these systems.

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