‘Solar on farmland’ online course

Submitted by WSU Extension San Juan County.

In the face of climate change and development pressure, Northwest Washington needs both solar power generation and increased protection of agricultural land. Agrivoltaics are an emerging strategy that incorporates photovoltaic arrays into agricultural systems. Join us on Thursday, Sept. 23 from 6:30-8 p.m. via zoom to learn about the opportunities, considerations and nitty-gritty details. We’ll take a look at some pros and cons of adding solar to a farm operation, offer some considerations for where and when to site solar on a farm, and discuss what to include in your decision-making tree as you think about adding solar arrays to your farm or land. We’ll also hear about the impact of solar on agricultural ecosystems, the opportunities it provides, and a brief overview of the costs of installation and incentives that are available. Pre-registration is required. This presentation is geared toward farmers and agricultural landowners, although all are welcome.

Click here to register: https://bit.ly/farmlandsolar. Speakers are Chad Higgins Oregon State University, Biological and Ecological Engineering and Addie Candib, American Farmland Trust. There will also be a special guest from Rainshadow Solar & Energy Solutions, Inc. The session is moderated by Faith Van De Putte, San Juan County Agricultural Resources Committee, and hosted by WSU San Juan County Extension and SJC Agricultural Resources Committee.