Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the states clean energy and pollution reduction objectives.

This bill, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, would require the commission to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems, study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms, on the states agricultural economy, and on electricity generated from solar panels, and study the potential of agrivoltaic systems to reduce the impact of extreme heat on crops, livestock, and agricultural workers. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop guidelines and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding and to take certain actions for purposes of the grant program. The bill would require the commission to conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.

Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the states clean energy and pollution reduction objectives.

This bill, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, would require the commission to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems and systems, study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms, on the states agricultural economy, and on electricity generated from solar panels. panels, and study the potential of agrivoltaic systems to reduce the impact of extreme heat on crops, livestock, and agricultural workers. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop guidelines and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding. funding and to take certain actions for purposes of the grant program. The bill would require the commission to conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.

Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the states clean energy and pollution reduction objectives.

This bill, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, would require the commission to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems and study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms farms, on the states agricultural economy, and on electricity generated from solar panels. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding. The bill would require the commission to conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.

Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the states clean energy and pollution reduction objectives.

The Williamson Act authorizes a city or county to contract with a landowner to limit the use of land devoted to agricultural use or located in an agricultural preserve designated by the city or county in exchange for reduced property tax assessments.

This bill would specify that the use of land for an agrivoltaic system pursuant to the bills provisions is an agricultural use for purposes of the Williamson Act. The bill also would make numerous nonsubstantive changes to the provision defining terms for purposes of the act.

Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the states clean energy and pollution reduction objectives.

This bill would state the policy of the state to promote the development of agrivoltaic systems, as defined, in furtherance of clean energy development, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, working land conservation, and other state priorities. The bill would require the commission, in coordination with specified entities, to develop a strategic plan for agrivoltaic systems, as provided. The bill would require the commission to evaluate and quantify the maximum feasible capacity of agrivoltaic systems to achieve reliability, ratepayers, employment, and decarbonization benefits, and to establish megawatt agrivoltaic planning goals for 2030 and 2045. The bill would require the commission to assess the transmission investments and upgrades necessary to support the 2030 and 2045 goals. The bill would require the commission to develop and produce a permitting roadmap describing timeframes and milestones for a coordinated, comprehensive, and efficient permitting process for agrivoltaic systems and associated electricity and transmission infrastructure.

Existing law requires the commission to establish and administer the Climate Innovation Program to provide financial incentives to California-headquartered companies for developing and commercializing technologies that can either help California meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets and achieve its climate goals, or enable the state to be more resilient to the impacts of climate change, as specified. Existing law authorizes the commission to administer the Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program to provide grants that encourage the installation of renewable energy technologies serving agricultural operations to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Under existing law, the Department of Food and Agriculture established the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program to provide financial incentives to farmers to improve irrigation management in ways that save water and energy while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

This bill would specify that agrivoltaic systems are eligible for funding under the above-described programs and other relevant programs administered by the commission or the department addressing the impacts of climate change.

The Williamson Act authorizes a city or county to contract with a landowner to limit the use of land devoted to agricultural use or located in an agricultural preserve designated by the city or county in exchange for reduced property tax assessments.

This bill would specify that the use of land for an agrivoltaic system is an agricultural use for purposes of the Williamson Act. The bill also would make numerous nonsubstantive changes to the provision defining terms for purposes of the act.

Date of Hearing: August 16, 2023

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Chris Holden, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 688

Author:(Padilla) – As Amended Ver:June 30, 2023

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill requires the California Energy Commission (CEC), upon appropriation, to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems.

The bill directs the CEC, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture (Food and Ag), to develop guidelines and criteria for determining a project’s eligibility for grant funding and lists the following as potential grant recipients: the University of California, the California State University, community colleges and nonprofit organizations, among others. The bill requires the CEC to conduct an evaluation of the grant program according to specified criteria and to publish the evaluation on its website.

FISCAL EFFECT:

Cost pressure of an unknown, but significant amount, to provide funding for the grant program created by this bill. While the bill does not specify an amount to be appropriated for the agrivoltaic grant program it creates, a similar grant program, described below, received an appropriation of $10 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF).

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. The author intends this bill to pilot the use of agrivoltaics to the advantage of farmers, workers and crops while providing a clean source of energy. According to the author:

Including agrivoltaic projects in California would help farmers improve working conditions for workers, shield crops from extreme weather, generate energy needed around their farming operations, and offers an additional revenue stream to farmers. As our summers get hotter and our winters colder, it is vital that we protect our agricultural workforce from these climate change consequences. Agrivoltaics are an exciting tool that benefits farmers and workers alike. Establishing this pilot program will serve as the test case for California, paving the way to future projects and improvements.

1. Background. The state has ambitious clean energy goals. Among those goals is state law calling for renewable and zero-carbon resources to supply 100% of retail sales of electricity by 2045. To achieve these goals, the state will need massive quantities of new clean energy resources, including, principally, solar energy generating resources, such as solar photovoltaic panels that generate electricity when struck by the sun’s rays.

Solar panels placed on working agricultural land are sometimes referred to “agrivoltaics.” The use of agrivoltaics allows solar panels to generate electricity while the land beneath the panels continues to be used for agriculture.

The state has funded agrivoltaics. For example, the Budge Act of 2017 provided $10 million from the GGRF to the Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program (REAP), administered by the CEC. The analysis of this bill by the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy reports the CEC awarded 45 grants through the program and that program funding is exhausted.

This bill direct the CEC to establish an agrivoltaics grant program only if an appropriation is made for this purpose; however, the Budget Act of 2022 allocates no money specifically for such a program. The author notes that AB 408 (Wilson), of this legislative session, the Climate-resilient Farms, Sustainable Healthy Food Access, and Farmworker Protection Bond Act of 2024, includes $20 million for grants to install agrivoltaics “to strengthen farm viability, safeguard land well-suited for farming and ranching and further the state’s renewable energy goals.” AB 408 is pending consideration in the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Analysis Prepared by: Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: June 28, 2023

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON UTILITIES AND ENERGY

Eduardo Garcia, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 688

Author:(Padilla) – As Amended Ver:June 8, 2023

SENATE VOTE: 40-0

SUBJECT: Agrivoltaic systems: grant funding

SUMMARY: Requires the California Energy Commission (CEC) to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems, conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and publish the evaluation on the CEC website, contingent upon an appropriation from the Legislature.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes the policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100% of retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers by 2045 and 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2035. (Public Utilities Code § 454.53)
2. Establishes the California Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Program which requires investor-owned utilities (IOUs), publicly owned utilities (POUs), community choice aggregators (CCAs), and energy service providers (ESPs) to increase purchases of renewable energy such that they each procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatt hours (kWh) of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieves 25% of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33% by December 31, 2020, 44% by December 31, 2024, 52% by December 31, 2027, and 60% by December 31, 2030. (Public Utilities Code §§ 399.11, 399.13, 399.15, 399.30)
3. Requires the CEC to assess trends in energy consumption and analyze the social, economic, and environmental consequences of these trends. The CEC must establish energy conservation measures, including building and appliance energy efficiency standards, and recommend additional conservation measures to the governor and the Legislature. (Public Resources Code § 25216)
4. Establishes the Williamson Act and authorizes a city or county to contract with a landowner to limit the use of land devoted to agricultural use or located in an agricultural preserve designated by the city or county in exchange for reduced property tax assessments. (Government Code § 51201)

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, costs to implement this bill could range into the several millions of dollars. The CEC estimates ongoing costs of $300,000 annually (Energy Resource Program Account [ERPA] or General Fund), the Department of Food and Agriculture estimates one-time costs of at least $373,000 spread over four or more years (General Fund), and unknown additional costs, likely around several million dollars (General Fund, special funds, or bond funds), will be necessary to provide funding for grants under the program.

BACKGROUND:

SB 100 And The Need For Solar – In 2018, the Legislature adopted SB 100 (De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018) to establish a target for renewable and zero-carbon resources to supply 100% of retail sales and electricity serving all state agencies by 2045. The statute was updated by SB 1020 (Laird, Chapter 361, Statutes of 2022) to accelerate the requirement on state agencies to 2035. The statute calls upon the CEC, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and California Air Resources Board (CARB) to use programs under existing law to achieve this policy and issue a joint policy report. The report, finalized in March 2021, identifies the likely need to triple solar photovoltaic energy procurement (includes both in-state and out-of-state resources) to meet the 2045 goal, from about 12.5 gigawatts (GW) in 2019 to nearly 70 GW in 2045 – a build out of just under 3 GW of solar energy generation annually.^[1] The report acknowledges the many potential impacts of the build-out of energy resources to achieve the SB 100 target, including the need to address impacts to land-use, on both working and natural lands.

Power and Plants – “Agrivoltaics” refers to the co-location of solar energy on working agricultural lands to utilize the land simultaneously for both energy generation and agricultural production.^[2],[3] Less than 2% of solar energy projects in the United States are co-located with crops or pollinator habitats.^[4] This low adoption rate is largely driven by uncertainties in how the dual uses of energy generation and agricultural production on land may provide mutual benefit or harm. For instance, shading by solar panels can impact crop production, livestock grazing, and pollinator habitat. These impacts may be negative, with reduced light availability limiting crop productivity, or positive, with shading by solar panels reducing heat stress on grazing livestock or reducing water loss by individual plants.^[5],[6] The potential for co-benefits, alongside the wide variety of implementation methods, has spurred the creation of a raft of agrivoltaic research projects funded from state and federal sources.

Figure 1 – A Variety of Configurations Have Been Proposed for Implementing Agrivoltaics.^[7]

Funding – At the state level, various funding streams provide direct investment for agrivoltaic projects. California’s Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program (REAP), funded under AB 109 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2017), provides grants for the installation of onsite renewable energy on agricultural operations in California to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and provide co-benefits to local communities.^[8] The program has received $10 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. In April 2019, the CEC awarded 45 grants, ranging from $25,000-$350,000, across 18 counties, representing $9.5 million in total and exhausting the funding pool. The CEC has not yet posted a report evaluating these projects to their website, suggesting that it may be too early to assess the effectiveness of these projects. California also provides funding through the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP), which provides financial assistance in the form of grants to implement irrigation systems that reduce GHG and save water on California agricultural operations. Eligible projects include those that use solar energy to operate irrigation systems. Additionally, the California Department of Conservation (DOC) administers the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP), which was established by the Legislature in SB 170 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 240, Statutes of 2021) to increase regional capacity to repurpose fallowed agricultural land and reduce reliance on groundwater while providing community benefits. Though no energy projects have been funded through the MLRP to date, the DOC has indicated that the development of renewable energy generation infrastructure is an acceptable use for award funding to repurpose fallowed land.^[9]

At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Energy recently announced $8 million in funding for six solar energy research projects as part of the Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale (FARMS) program that supports agrivoltaics. The projects selected are all outside California, and five of the six grants were awarded to universities for agrivoltaic research.^[10] The projects selected for FARMS build on ongoing DOE-funded research, which is focused on conducting research, analysis, and dissemination of best practices for the implementation of agrivoltaics. Additionally, as part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the federal government is funding the Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency (REAP). The federal REAP program aims to distribute $1.7 billion over five years, starting in 2022, with grant awards from $2,500 to $1 million to support renewable energy system development in rural areas.^[11] The program description lists solar generation as an acceptable use of program funding which, though it is not explicitly stated, seems likely to include agrivoltaics.

Tax Considerations For Agricultural Land – The Williamson Act, also known as the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, enables local governments to enter into contracts with private landowners to restrict specific parcels of land to agricultural use or related open space use. In return, landowners receive below-market property tax assessments based on farming and open space uses rather than full market value. These contracts renew automatically each year unless the contract is ended through nonrenewal, cancellation, or termination. This tax structure has been relied-upon by farmers throughout California for decades and is an important aspect of planning and budgeting for agriculture. For this reason, any effort or perceived effort to change or include other land uses in these agricultural tax considerations may raise concerns from farmers who worry about any changes to their tax assessment.

COMMENTS:

1. Author’s Statement. According to the author, “Including agrivoltaic projects in California would help farmers improve working conditions for workers, shield crops from extreme weather, generate energy needed around their farming operations, and offers an additional revenue stream to farmers. As our summers get hotter and our winters colder, it is vital that we protect our agricultural workforce from these climate change consequences. Agrivoltaics are an exciting tool that benefits farmers and workers alike. Establishing this pilot program will serve as the test case for California, paving the way to future projects and improvements.”
2. Funding For (Solar) Farms? The profit potential to farmers for solar development on their land, as well as the existence of multiple state and federal funding sources for agrivoltaic research currently, suggest that an additional research grant program as proposed by this bill may not be necessary to grow the industry. However, agrivoltaics have not been widely deployed in California to date, and many uncertainties still exist about the potential impacts of the co-location of solar energy systems on working agricultural lands. These systems may provide substantial benefit in terms of energy generation, agricultural production, reduced agricultural water usage, as well as a means for reconciling the often conflicting land-use demands of agriculture and expanded solar development in rural areas. Or these systems may reduce crop productivity, depending on the climate, crop type, or panel alignment configuration. Given that the CEC’s REAP has exhausted its funding, while many outstanding questions persist, additional grants to support agrivoltaic research may be reasonable.
3. Aligning Priorities. The bill specifies that agrivoltaic projects must maximize the benefit to farmland by maximizing both agricultural production and water savings. This may be a difficult threshold to reach because of the potential tradeoffs between water savings and crop production. Moreover, the bill specifies energy production must also be optimized, further complicating implementation. It is important to ensure that these projects have as positive an effect on farmland as possible, as well as explore ways to integrate substantial energy generation. However, statutory requirements to maximize both agricultural production and water saving benefits may restrict the ability of the CEC to design effective, informative projects, potentially limiting their research value. As such, the author and committee may wish to consider amendments to clarify that the requirement to maximize benefits to farmland in the grant-funded projects in 25238(f) may not reduce the research value of the projects.
4. Duplicative Tax Language. The research projects proposed in the bill would transition agricultural land into dual-purpose land, yielding both agricultural production and energy generation. With that repurposing comes the risk that the land may be reclassified and no longer be eligible for certain tax considerations reserved for agricultural land. The bill protects grant recipients from this outcome by specifying that these projects will not cause land to lose agricultural zoning status or agricultural designation. The bill separately, and duplicatively, states that the projects will not cause agricultural land used for the grant program to lose agricultural designation and receive adverse tax treatment. As such, the author and committee may wish to consider amendments to strike the duplicative tax treatment language in 25238(f)(4).
5. Additional Amendments. Some of this bill’s findings and declarations were unable to be verified, as such, the author and committee may wish to consider amendments to strike (e) from Section 1.
6. Related Legislation.

AB 580 (Bennett), would have required the CPUC, in consultation with the CEC, the Department of Conservation, and the Department of Food and Agriculture, to assess existing challenges to farmers repurposing fallowed land for zero-emission energy infrastructure and develop best practices for navigating those challenges. Status: held in the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.

1. Prior Legislation.

SB 1020 (Laird), established as a policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2035, rather than the previous target of December 31, 2045. Status: Chapter 361, Statutes of 2022.

SB 100 (De León), established the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018 as a policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100% of retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. The bill also increased the state’s RPS to 60% of retail sales by December 31, 2030 and requires all state agencies to incorporate these targets into their relevant planning. Status: Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018.

SB 856 (Budget and Fiscal Review Committee), appropriated four million dollars to fund renewable energy projects in the agriculture sector from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Status: Chapter 30, Statutes of 2018.

AB 109 (Ting), the Budget Act of 2017 appropriated six million dollars to fund renewable energy projects in the agriculture sector from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Status: Chapter 249, Statutes of 2017.

SB 618 (Wolk), authorized a city or county and a landowner to simultaneously rescind a Williamson Act contract on marginally productive or physically impaired lands and enter into a solar-use easement that restricts the use of land to photovoltaic solar facilities, as specified. Status: Chapter 596, Statutes of 2011.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

350 Bay Area Action

American Farmland Trust

California Climate and Agriculture Network

Climate Action California

Community Alliance With Family Farmers

Oppose Unless Amended

Large Scale Solar Association

Other

California Farm Bureau Federation
Lightstar

Analysis Prepared by: Samuel Mahanes / U. & E. / (916) 319-2083

1. CEC, CPUC, and CARB; “2021 SB 100 Joint Agency Report”; March 2021. ↑

2. U.S. Department of Energy; “Solar and Agriculture Co-Location”; https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-and-agriculture-co-location ↑

3. U.S. Department of Agriculture; “Agrivoltaics: Coming Soon to a Farm Near You?”; https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northeast/topic/agrivoltaics-coming-soon-farm-near-you ↑

4. U.S. Department of Energy; “DOE Announces $8 Million to Integrate Solar Energy Production with Farming”; December 2022; https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-8-million-integrate-solar-energy-production-farming ↑

5. Clean Energy Council; “Australian Guide To Agrisolar For Large-scale Solar”; March 2021 ↑

6. Oregon State University; “Sustainable Farm Agrivoltaic”; https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/newsroom/sustainable-farm-agrivoltaic ↑

7. National Renewable Energy Laboratory; “Growing Plants, Power, and Partnerships Through Agrivoltaics”; August 2022; https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2022/growing-plants-power-and-partnerships.html ↑

8. CEC; “Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program”; https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/renewable-energy-agriculture-program ↑

9. DOC; “Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program – Final Solicitation and Application”; January 2023. ↑

10. U.S. Department of Energy; “DOE Announces $8 Million to Integrate Solar Energy Production with Farming”; December 2022; https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-8-million-integrate-solar-energy-production-farming ↑

11. U.S. Department of Agriculture; “Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans & Grants”; https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/energy-programs/rural-energy-america-program-renewable-energy-systems-energy-efficiency-improvement-guaranteed-loans ↑

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: SB 688

Author: Padilla (D)

Amended: 4/17/23

Vote: 21

SENATE ENERGY, U. & C. COMMITTEE: 15-0, 4/10/23

AYES: Bradford, Dahle, Ashby, Becker, Dodd, Durazo, Eggman, Gonzalez, McGuire, Min, Newman, Rubio, Seyarto, Skinner, Wilk

NO VOTE RECORDED: Caballero, Grove, Stern

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 5/18/23

AYES: Portantino, Jones, Ashby, Bradford, Seyarto, Wahab, Wiener

SUBJECT: Agrivoltaic systems: grant funding

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill requires the California Energy Commission (CEC), upon appropriation, to award grants for agrivoltaic systems – solar energy systems on agricultural land – as specified.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018 as a policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100 percent of retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100 percent of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. (Public Utilities Code §454.53)
2. Establishes the California Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Program which requires investor-owned utilities (IOUs), publicly owned utilities (POUs), community choice aggregators (CCAs), and energy service providers (ESPs) to increase purchases of renewable energy such that they each procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatt hours (kWh) of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieves 25 percent of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33 percent by December 31, 2020, 44 percent by December 31, 2024, 52 percent by December 31, 2027, and 60 percent by December 31, 2030. (Public Utilities Code §§399.11, 399.13, 399.15, 399.30)
3. Establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (also known as the California Energy Commission (CEC)) and requires the CEC to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the state’s clean energy and pollution reduction objectives. (Public Resources Code §25200 et seq.)
4. Requires the CEC to assess trends in energy consumption and analyze the social, economic, and environmental consequences of these trends. The CEC must establish energy conservation measures, including building and appliance energy efficiency standards, and recommend additional conservation measures to the governor and the Legislature. (Public Resources Code §25216)

This bill:

1. Requires, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, the CEC to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems and study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms, on the state’s agricultural economy, and on electricity generated from solar panels.
2. Defines agrivoltaic systems to mean a dual-use solar photovoltaic energy system and agricultural activities colocated in specified areas of land, whereby elevated solar photovoltaic panels are installed above active agricultural lands, at heights and configurations that ensure the simultaneous use of the land for agricultural activities beneath or between rows of solar photovoltaic panels.
3. Requires the CEC, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop guidelines and criteria for determining a project’s eligibility for grant funding.
4. Requires the CEC to conduct an evaluation of the grant program and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.

Background

SB 100 renewable energy and zero-emissions target may necessitate a tripling of solar energy generation. SB 100 (De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018) establishes a target for renewable and zero-carbon resources to supply 100 percent of retail sales by 2045. The statute calls upon the CEC, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and California Air Resources Board (CARB) (collectively: the Joint Agencies) to use programs under existing law to achieve this policy and issue a joint policy report as a first step to evaluate the challenges and opportunities in implementing SB 100. The report includes an initial assessment of the energy resources and the resource building rates needed to achieve 100 percent clean electricity, along with the associated costs. The Joint Agency report issued in March 2021 forecasts system needs out 24 years to 2045, but notes “the preliminary findings are intended to inform state planning and are not intended as a comprehensive nor prescriptive roadmap to 2045…future work will delve deeper into critical topics such as system reliability and land use and further address energy equity and workforce needs.” The report finds the likely need to dramatically increase solar photovoltaic energy procurement (includes both in-state and out-of-state resources) to meet the 2045 goal, from about 12.5 gigawatts (GW) in 2019 to nearly 70 GW in 2045 – a build out of just under 3 GW of solar energy annually. The report acknowledges the many potential impacts of the build-out of energy resources to achieve the SB 100 target, including the need to address impacts to land-use, both working and natural lands.

A rose by any other name? While the siting of solar energy on farmland has existed for decades, agrivoltaic system projects, intend to explore how the dual-use of the land can benefit both solar energy generation and the growth of crops (or livestock or pollinators), and improve overall land productivity. In the case of agrivoltaic system projects, agricultural crops are grown beneath and/or in between rows of solar panels, so as to utilize the same land for both purposes. These projects tend to consider and explore the role of light, including the shade and light spectra provided by solar panels and their impacts on crop production, livestock grazing, and pollinator habitat. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in the United States, less than two percent of solar energy projects are co-located with crops or pollinator habitats.

DOE funding. At the federal level, in December 2022, the DOE announced $8 million for six solar energy research projects across six states and the District of Columbia as part of the Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale (FARMS) program that supports agrivoltaics. According to the DOE website: The FARMS program supports agrivoltaics in the co-location of agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land—and aims to reduce barriers to utility-and community-scale solar energy deployment while maximizing benefits for farmers and local communities. The six projects selected are all outside California, with the closest located in Arizona. All of the six projects, except one, were awarded to universities in order to research the role of agrivoltaics. The projects selected for FARMS build on ongoing DOE-funded research, which is focused on conducting research, analysis, and dissemination of agrivoltaics best practices.  

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding. Additionally, as part of the federal IRA, the federal government is funding the Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency (REAP). The federal REAP program aims to distribute $1.7 billion over five years, 2022-2027, to support renewable energy systems in rural areas. Grant funding is available from $2,500 up to $1 million per grant to help fund biomass, geothermal, hydropower, hydrogen, small and large wind generation, ocean generation, and both large and small solar energy.

Previous state funding towards agricultural and solar energy generation. California has also provided funding for solar generation on agricultural lands, however, those programs did not require agrivoltaic systems, instead, solar systems are most often placed on parts of agricultural lands that are no longer used for agricultural purposes. The REAP, funded under AB 109 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2017), provides grants for the installation of onsite renewable energy on agricultural operations in California, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and support the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goals of the program include accelerating the adoption of onsite renewable energy technologies on agricultural operations to accomplish a number of benefits including reducing GHG emissions, reducing demand for fossil fuels and grid electricity, and providing additional co-benefits to local communities. The program received $10 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The CEC awarded 45 grants across 18 counties, representing $9.5 million, with grants ranging from $25,000-$350,000. In total, the program funded renewable energy system size ranges from 11.5 kW (kilowatts) to about one megawatt (MW). All funding has been awarded for the program and no additional funding remains.

California also provides funding through the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) which provides financial assistance in the form of grants to implement irrigation systems that reduce GHG emissions and save water on California agricultural operations. Eligible projects include those that use solar energy to operate the irrigation systems.

Need for agrivoltaic research in California. Agrivoltaic projects can be crop and climate dependent, as noted by some of the supporters, related studies, and DOE projects. While California has only a few agrivoltaic system projects sprinkled throughout the state, based on DOE maps. Given the importance of both agriculture and renewable energy in the state, the proposed grant program could help better inform the state’s efforts to site solar energy and support agriculture operations with specific research in California, ideally encompassing the diverse regions of the state (funding dependent).

Related/Prior Legislation

SB 100 (De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018) established the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018 as a policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100 percent of retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100 percent of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. The bill also increased the state’s RPS to 60 percent of retail sales by December 31, 2030 and requires all state agencies to incorporate these targets into their relevant planning.

AB 109 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2017) Budget Act of 2017 appropriated six million dollars to fund renewable energy projects in the agriculture sector from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

SB 856 (Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, Chapter 30, Statutes of 2018) appropriated four million dollars to fund renewable energy projects in the agriculture sector from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

• The CEC estimates ongoing costs of about $300,000 annually (Energy Resource Program Account [ERPA] or General Fund) and two positions to develop and implement the requirements in the bill.
• The Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) estimates one-time costs of at least $373,000 spread over four or more years (General Fund) to collaborate extensively with the CEC on topics including impacts on agricultural resources (such as water use), economic effects, regulatory guidelines for agrivoltaic grants.
• Unknown cost pressure, likely of at least several millions of dollars (General Fund, special funds, or bond funds) to provide funding for grants under the program that would be established by this bill.

SUPPORT: (Verified 5/18/23)

350 Bay Area Action

American Farmland Trust

California Climate & Agriculture Network

Climate Action California

Community Alliance with Family Farmers

OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/18/23)

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author:

Including agrivoltaic projects in California would help farmers improve working conditions for workers, shield crops from extreme weather, generate energy needed around their farming operations, and offers an additional revenue stream to farmers. As our summers get hotter and our winters colder, it is vital that we protect our agricultural workforce from these climate change consequences. Agrivoltaics are an exciting tool that benefits farmers and workers alike. Establishing this pilot program will serve as the test case for California, paving the way to future projects and improvements.

Prepared by: Nidia Bautista / E., U. & C. / (916) 651-4107

5/20/23 13:05:26

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SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Anthony Portantino, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular Session

SB 688 (Padilla) - Agrivoltaic systems: grant funding

Bill Summary:

This bill would require the California Energy Commission (CEC), upon appropriation, to award grants for agrivoltaic systems – solar energy systems on agricultural land – as specified.

Fiscal Impact:

• The CEC estimates ongoing costs of about $300,000 annually (Energy Resource Program Account [ERPA] or General Fund) and two positions to develop and implement the requirements in the bill.
• The Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) estimates one-time costs of at least $373,000 spread over four or more years (General Fund) to collaborate extensively with the CEC on topics including impacts on agricultural resources (such as water use), economic effects, regulatory guidelines for agrivoltaic grants.
• Unknown cost pressure, likely of at least several millions of dollars (General Fund, special funds, or bond funds) to provide funding for grants under the program that would be established by this bill.

Background:

SB 100 renewable energy and zero-emissions target. In 2018, the Legislature adopted SB 100 (De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018) to establish a target for renewable and zero-carbon resources to supply 100 percent of retail sales and electricity serving all state agencies by 2045. The statute calls upon the CEC, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and California Air Resources Board (CARB) (collectively: the Joint Agencies) to use programs under existing law to achieve this policy and issue a joint policy report. The Joint Agency report was finalized in March 2021, and notes it “is intended to be a first step in an iterative and ongoing effort to assess barriers and opportunities to implementing the 100 percent clean electricity policy.” The Joint Agency report forecasts system needs out 24 years to 2045, but notes “the preliminary findings are intended to inform state planning and are not intended as a comprehensive nor prescriptive roadmap to 2045…future work will delve deeper into critical topics such as system reliability and land use and further address energy equity and workforce needs.” The report finds the likely need to triple solar photovoltaic energy procurement (includes both in-state and out-of-state resources) to meet the 2045 goal, from about 12.5 gigawatts (GW) in 2019 to nearly 70 GW in 2045 – a build out of just under 3 GW of solar energy annually. The report acknowledges the many potential impacts of the build-out of energy resources to achieve the SB 100 target, including the need to address impacts to land-use, both working and natural lands.

A rose by any other name? Agrivoltaic is a term intended to encompass the co-location of agriculture working lands and solar photovoltaic energy resources. While the siting of solar energy on farm land has existed for decades, agrivoltaic projects, generally, intend to explore how the dual-use of the land can benefit both energy generation and the growth of crops and improve overall land productivity. In the case of agrivoltaic projects, agricultural crops are grown beneath and/or in between rows of solar panels, so as to utilize the same land for both purposes. These projects tend to consider and explore the role of light, including the shade and light spectra provided by solar panels and their impacts on crop production, livestock grazing, and pollinator habitat. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in the United States, less than two percent of solar energy projects are co-located with crops or pollinator habitats.

California’s Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program funding. The Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program (REAP), funded under AB 109 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2017), provides grants for the installation of onsite renewable energy on agricultural operations in California, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and support the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goals of the program include accelerating the adoption of onsite renewable energy technologies on agricultural operations to accomplish a number of benefits including reducing GHG emissions, reducing demand for fossil fuels and grid electricity, and providing additional co-benefits to local communities. The program received $10 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The CEC awarded 45 grants across 18 counties, representing $9.5 million, with grants ranging from $25,000-$350,000. In total, the program funded renewable energy system size ranges from 11.5 kW (kilowatts) to about 1 megawatt (MW). All funding has been awarded for the program and no additional funding remains.

California also provides funding through the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) which provides financial assistance in the form of grants to implement irrigation systems that reduce GHG and save water on California agricultural operations. Eligible projects include those that use solar energy to operate the irrigation systems.

U.S. Department of Energy funding. At the federal level, the DOE in December 2022 announced $8 million for six solar energy research projects across six states and the District of Columbia as part of the Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale (FARMS) program that supports agrivoltaics. According to the DOE website: The FARMS program supports agrivoltaics in the co-location of agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land—and aims to reduce barriers to utility-and community-scale solar energy deployment while maximizing benefits for farmers and local communities. The six projects selected are all outside California, with the closest located in Arizona. All of the six projects, except one, were awarded to universities in order to research the role of agrivoltaics. The projects selected for FARMS build on ongoing DOE-funded research, which is focused on conducting research, analysis, and dissemination of agrivoltaics best practices.  

Inflation Reduction Act funding. Additionally, as part of federal IRA funds, the federal government is funding the Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency (REAP). The federal REAP program aims to distribute $1.7 billion over five years, 2022-2027, to support renewable energy systems in rural areas. Grant funding is available from $2,500 up to $1 million per grant to help fund biomass, geothermal, hydropower, hydrogen, small and large wind generation, ocean generation, and both large and small solar energy.

Proposed Law:

This bill would require the CEC, upon appropriation, to award grants for agrivoltaic systems – solar energy systems on agricultural land. Specifically, this bill would:

1. Require, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, the CEC to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems and study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms, the agricultural economy in different regions of the state with different climate conditions (to the extent funding is available), and on electricity generated from solar panels.
2. Require the CEC, in consultation with CDFA, to develop guidelines and criteria for determining a project’s eligibility for grant funding.
3. Require the CEC to conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.

Related Legislation:

SB 1489 (Committee on Governance and Finance, Chapter 427, Statutes of 2022) made several minor changes to state laws governing local governments’ powers and duties, including re-instating the solar use easements originally established by SB 618 (see below).

SB 100 (De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018) established the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018 as a policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100 percent of retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100 percent of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. The bill also increased the state’s RPS to 60 percent of retail sales by December 31, 2030 and requires all state agencies to incorporate these targets into their relevant planning.

AB 109 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2017) Budget Act of 2017 appropriated six million dollars to fund renewable energy projects in the agriculture sector from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

SB 856 (Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, Chapter 30, Statutes of 2018) appropriated four million dollars to fund renewable energy projects in the agriculture sector from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

SB 618 (Wolk, Chapter 596, Statutes of 2011) authorized a city or county and a landowner to simultaneously rescind a Williamson Act contract on marginally productive or physically impaired lands and enter into a solar-use easement that restricts the use of land to photovoltaic solar facilities, as specified.

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SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY, UTILITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS

Senator Steven Bradford, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular

Bill No: SB 688 Hearing Date: 4/10/2023

SUBJECT: Agrivoltaic systems: grant funding

DIGEST: This bill requires the California Energy Commission (CEC), upon appropriation, to award grants for agrivoltaic systems – solar energy systems on agricultural land – as specified. Additionally, this bill includes agrivoltaic system as an agriculture use for purposes of the Williamson Act and its related taxation benefits.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018 as a policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100 percent of retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100 percent of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. (Public Utilities Code §454.53)
2. Establishes the California Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Program which requires investor-owned utilities (IOUs), publicly owned utilities (POUs), community choice aggregators (CCAs), and energy service providers (ESPs) to increase purchases of renewable energy such that they each procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatt hours (kWh) of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieves 25 percent of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33 percent by December 31, 2020, 44 percent by December 31, 2024, 52 percent by December 31, 2027, and 60 percent by December 31, 2030. (Public Utilities Code §§399.11, 399.13, 399.15, 399.30)
3. Establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (also known as the California Energy Commission (CEC)), consisting of five members appointed by the governor, and specifies the duties of the CEC. Requires the CEC to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the state’s clean energy and pollution reduction objectives. (Public Resources Code §25200 et. seq.)
4. Requires the CEC to assess trends in energy consumption and analyze the social, economic, and environmental consequences of these trends. The CEC must establish energy conservation measures, including building and appliance energy efficiency standards, and recommend additional conservation measures to the governor and the Legislature. (Public Resources Code §25216)
5. Establishes the Williamson Act and authorizes a city or county to contract with a landowner to limit the use of land devoted to agricultural use or located in an agricultural preserve designated by the city or county in exchange for reduced property tax assessments. (Government Code § 51201)

This bill:

Relevant to establishing a grant program for agrivoltaics:

1. Requires, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, the CEC to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems and study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms and on electricity generated from solar panels.
2. Requires the CEC, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a project’s eligibility for grant funding.
3. Requires the CEC to conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.

Relevant to amending the Williamson Act:

1. Specifies that the use of land for an agrivoltaic system pursuant to this bill’s provisions is an “agricultural use” for purposes of the Williamson Act.
2. Makes numerous non-substantive changes to the provision related to the Williamson Act.

Background

SB 100 renewable energy and zero-emissions target. In 2018, the Legislature adopted SB 100 (De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018) to establish a target for renewable and zero-carbon resources to supply 100 percent of retail sales and electricity serving all state agencies by 2045. The statute calls upon the CEC, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and California Air Resources Board (CARB) (collectively: the Joint Agencies) to use programs under existing law to achieve this policy and issue a joint policy report. The Joint Agency report was finalized in March 2021, and notes it “is intended to be a first step in an iterative and ongoing effort to assess barriers and opportunities to implementing the 100 percent clean electricity policy.” The Joint Agency report forecasts system needs out 24 years to 2045, but notes “the preliminary findings are intended to inform state planning and are not intended as a comprehensive nor prescriptive roadmap to 2045…future work will delve deeper into critical topics such as system reliability and land use and further address energy equity and workforce needs.” The report finds the likely need to triple solar photovoltaic energy procurement (includes both in-state and out-of-state resources) to meet the 2045 goal, from about 12.5 gigawatts (GW) in 2019 to nearly 70 GW in 2045 – a build out of just under 3 GW of solar energy annually. The report acknowledges the many potential impacts of the build-out of energy resources to achieve the SB 100 target, including the need to address impacts to land-use, both working and natural lands.

A rose by any other name? Agrivoltaic is a term intended to encompass the co-location of agriculture working lands and solar photovoltaic energy resources. While the siting of solar energy on farm land has existed for decades, agrivoltaic projects, generally, intend to explore how the dual-use of the land can benefit both energy generation and the growth of crops and improve overall land productivity. In the case of agrivoltaic projects, agricultural crops are grown beneath and/or in between rows of solar panels, so as to utilize the same land for both purposes. These projects tend to consider and explore the role of light, including the shade and light spectra provided by solar panels and their impacts on crop production, livestock grazing, and pollinator habitat. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in the United States, less than two percent of solar energy projects are co-located with crops or pollinator habitats.

California’s Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program funding. The Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program (REAP), funded under AB 109 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2017), provides grants for the installation of onsite renewable energy on agricultural operations in California, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and support the state’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goals of the program include accelerating the adoption of onsite renewable energy technologies on agricultural operations to accomplish a number of benefits including reducing GHG emissions, reducing demand for fossil fuels and grid electricity, and providing additional co-benefits to local communities. The program received $10 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The CEC awarded 45 grants across 18 counties, representing $9.5 million, with grants ranging from $25,000-$350,000. In total, the program funded renewable energy system size ranges from 11.5 kW (kilowatts) to about 1 megawatt (MW). All funding has been awarded for the program and no additional funding remains.

California also provides funding through the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) which provides financial assistance in the form of grants to implement irrigation systems that reduce GHG and save water on California agricultural operations. Eligible projects include those that use solar energy to operate the irrigation systems.

U.S. Department of Energy funding. At the federal level, the DOE in December 2022 announced $8 million for six solar energy research projects across six states and the District of Columbia as part of the Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale (FARMS) program that supports agrivoltaics. According to the DOE website: The FARMS program supports agrivoltaics in the co-location of agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land—and aims to reduce barriers to utility-and community-scale solar energy deployment while maximizing benefits for farmers and local communities. The six projects selected are all outside California, with the closest located in Arizona. All of the six projects, except one, were awarded to universities in order to research the role of agrivoltaics. The projects selected for FARMS build on ongoing DOE-funded research, which is focused on conducting research, analysis, and dissemination of agrivoltaics best practices.  

Inflation Reduction Act funding. Additionally, as part of federal IRA funds, the federal government is funding the Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency (REAP). The federal REAP program aims to distribute $1.7 billion over five years, 2022-2027, to support renewable energy systems in rural areas. Grant funding is available from $2,500 up to $1 million per grant to help fund biomass, geothermal, hydropower, hydrogen, small and large wind generation, ocean generation, and both large and small solar energy.

About the Williamson Act. The Williamson Act, also known as the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, enables local governments to enter into contracts with private landowners for the purpose of restricting specific parcels of land to agricultural or related open space use. In return, landowners receive property tax assessments which are much lower than normal because they are based upon farming and open space uses as opposed to full market value.  These contracts renew automatically each year, unless the contract is ended through nonrenewal, cancellation, or termination. This bill adds agrivoltaics to the definition of agriculture use within the Williamson Act, thereby authorizing contracts between local governments and private landowners to access the property tax benefits afforded by the Act.

Need for agrivoltaic research in California. Agrivoltaic projects can be crop and climate dependent, as noted by some of the supporters, related studies, and DOE projects. While California does seem to have a few agrivoltaic projects sprinkled throughout the state, based on DOE maps, there do not seem to be many given the importance of agriculture and renewable energy in the state. In this regard, the proposed grant program could help better inform the state’s efforts to site solar energy and support agriculture operations with specific research in California, ideally encompassing the diverse regions of the state (funding dependent).

Amendments. The author and committee may wish to amend this bill to:

• Ensure grants are made available in different regions with different climate conditions in the state (funding dependent).
• Include a definition for agrivoltaic to encompass the dual-use of the land.
• Require the CEC evaluation provides recommendations regarding crop layout and solar system designs.

Double Referral. This bill is also referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture.

Prior/Related Legislation

SB 1489 (Committee on Governance and Finance, Chapter 427, Statutes of 2022) made several minor changes to state laws governing local governments’ powers and duties, including re-instating the solar use easements originally established by SB 618 (see below).

SB 100 (De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018) established the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018 as a policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100 percent of retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100 percent of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. The bill also increased the state’s RPS to 60 percent of retail sales by December 31, 2030 and requires all state agencies to incorporate these targets into their relevant planning.

AB 109 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2017) Budget Act of 2017 appropriated six million dollars to fund renewable energy projects in the agriculture sector from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

SB 856 (Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, Chapter 30, Statutes of 2018) appropriated four million dollars to fund renewable energy projects in the agriculture sector from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

SB 618 (Wolk, Chapter 596, Statutes of 2011) authorized a city or county and a landowner to simultaneously rescind a Williamson Act contract on marginally productive or physically impaired lands and enter into a solar-use easement that restricts the use of land to photovoltaic solar facilities, as specified.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

SUPPORT:

American Farmland Trust

Climate Action California

Community Alliance with Family Farmers, if amended

OPPOSITION:

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author:

Including agrivoltaic projects in California would help farmers improve working conditions for workers, shield crops from extreme weather, generate energy needed around their farming operations, and offers an additional revenue stream to farmers. As our summers get hotter and our winters colder, it is vital that we protect our agricultural workforce from these climate change consequences. Agrivoltaics are an exciting tool that benefits farmers and workers alike. Establishing this pilot program will serve as the test case for California, paving the way to future projects and improvements.

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