Arizona Workshop Explores Agrivoltaics' Future: Community Engagement Key
The University of Arizona's SALSA research team recently hosted a pilot workshop to engage local communities in agrivoltaics, a sustainable practice that combines agriculture and solar energy. The event brought together various stakeholders to discuss project scales, ownership, benefits, and technical design.
The workshop, attended by 45 participants including farmers, food advocates, Tribal leaders, researchers, government officials, and solar developers, aimed to improve awareness and understand local expectations of agrivoltaic systems. It comprised a pre-survey, educational presentation, group discussions, a tour of an agrivoltaics array, and a farm-to-table dinner.
Disagreements arose regarding the optimal project size, with some considering two to five acres as small and others classifying anything less than 150 acres as small. Four out of eight groups described an 'optimal' agrivoltaics project as one with shared ownership among the farmer, energy company, and local community, while a Tribal community group suggested a cooperative model.
The study, published in 'Cultivating engagement: Public participation in agrivoltaics planning and design' in Energy Research & Social Science, found that 74% of participants agreed that large-scale solar development is crucial for addressing climate change, but only 33% strongly agreed. Meanwhile, 76% agreed that agrivoltaic systems benefit local communities, with six groups expressing that an optimal system would produce food crops.
The workshop highlighted the importance of community engagement in agrivoltaics planning, with diverse perspectives shaping the future of this sustainable practice. The study's findings underscore the potential of agrivoltaics in addressing climate change and benefiting local communities, with a focus on shared ownership and food production.
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