Date of Graduation

Spring 5-15-2025

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Environmental Management (MSEM)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Environmental Management

First Advisor

Allison Luengen, PhD

Abstract

Agrivoltaics, which facilitates energy and food production on the same land, is an emerging technological approach that supports agricultural productivity while growing farm revenues through solar electricity sales. Agrivoltaics use in the United States is nascent, with only 2% of utility-scale solar projects integrating agricultural production. Based on estimated high- and low-end ranges in the scientific literature, I have calculated that California can use agrivoltaics to produce 20% of the additional 70 gigawatts of utility-scale solar required to meet the state’s 2045 zero-carbon electricity goal. This 20% target is ambitious and achievable, and the impacts across land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and water use are meaningfully positive. Achieving this target would require agrivoltaics on 4.8% to 9.6% of California’s 8.5 million acres of cultivated cropland. At this scale, agrivoltaics can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, representing 14.6% of the state’s total in 2022. Additionally, shading from agrivoltaics over cropland can reduce irrigation by up to 20%, leading to significant water savings especially important in the Central Valley growing region. California can demonstrate energy transition leadership by proving that agrivoltaics on cultivated cropland works at scale to maintain food security, create new revenue opportunities, improve land use efficiency, and bolster climate resilience. To realize this potential, the state needs to amend the Williamson Act to eliminate a barrier to adoption, create an investment tax credit to incentivize use, and work closely with a new independent nonprofit organization to guide agrivoltaics rollout.

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