Agrivoltaics: Combining Solar Panels with Farming – Climate Solutions Advancement Network (ClimateSAN)

Agrivoltaics: Combining Solar Panels with Farming

Combining solar panels with farming is a very cost effective way to produce electrical power and food at the same time. In addition, there are considerable financial incentives including a 30% federal tax credit.

1) Brief Summary Information:

a) Federal Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit: A refundable 30% tax credit on capital cost of investments made by taxable entities in wind, solar PV and energy-storage technologies (ClimateSAN.org/fcti )
b) Wiki Page on Agrivoltaics
c) Ivey Agrivoltaics Conference, Dec 8, 2022 at the Spencer Leadership Centre in London, ON.
d) Agrivoltaics Association in Canada: agrivoltaicscanada.ca .
e) Ontario Energy Board: Net Metering: generate renewable electricity for your own use while sending excess power to the grid for a credit (ClimateSAN.org/spnm ).
f) Combined Solar PV System w/ Energy Storage and Late-Night Recharging (climatesan.org/cses)

2) Example Agrivoltaics Project: Combing Solar with Sheep Farming:

Photograph of sheep with solar panels in the background.

Image Courtesy of NREL

3) Example Agrivoltaics Project: New Solar Panel Technology for Greenhouses

4) Articles & videos about Agrivoltaics;

a) Reuters: With agrivoltaics ‘we don’t have to choose between solar power and producing food’, March 20, 2023
b) Video: How Solar Panels Are Changing Agriculture – Agrivoltaics Revisited
c) PV-Magazine: Agrivoltaics for arable crops, Sep. 14, 2022
d) Corporate Knights: “Agrivoltaics” could launch solar revolution that Conservatives love, Sep. 7, 2023
e) Greenhouse Canada: Doubling the power of the sun – Greenhouses have long used solar power to grow plants and warm up spaces in chillier temperatures. Now, solar energy capture technology has come to the point where greenhouses can use solar power to generate electricity.
f) NREL: Growing Plants, Power, and Partnerships Through Agrivoltaics Solar and Agriculture Pair Well Together, Thanks to Planning and Cooperation, Aug. 18, 2022

5) Combined Solar PV System w/ Energy Storage and Late-Night Recharging (climatesan.org/cses):

a) Link to Google Slideshow: Combined Solar PV System with Energy Storage and Late-Night Recharging at 2.4 cents/kWh in Ontario.

b) Summary Factsheet: Combined Solar PV System with Energy Storage and Late-Night Recharging at 2.4 cents/kWh in Ontario.) Hydro Bill Calculator by the Ontario Energy Board: Hydro One Networks Inc. – General Service Energy Billed

6) Selected Battery Storage Options:

a) Canadian Solar presents all-in-one residential battery inverter solution, Sept 22, 2022 The new product is available in four versions with a storage capacity ranging from 9.9 to 19.9 kWh. The battery inverter comes with a 10-year warranty and can reportedly provide steady operation for up to 6,000 charge cycles.
b) Battery Overview & Technology Next Generation Technology by Soneil International, Soneil Group of Companies, Brampton, ON, Tel: +1 905-565-0360, E-mail: info@soneil.com
c) Home energy storage wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_energy_storage
d) Solar Energy Technologies Office – Solar-Plus-Storage 101 – MARCH 11, 2019
e) EnerVenue Nickel-Hydrogen Battery; Wiki: Nickel–hydrogen battery; Article: $100m for its grid energy storage technology (Nickel-Hydrogen)
f) Tesla Utility-Scale Energy Storage – Lithium-Ion Battery
g) FlexGen Power Systems
h) Form Energy – Iron-air battery; Video Review: Just Have a Think: Iron-Air Battery, Aug 1, 2021
i) ESS Inc. – Iron Flow Battery

7) Links to Climate related funding:

a) Financial incentives for implementing clean technologies: https://climatesan.org/combine-complementary-tech-to-maximize-impact/#S11
b) Gov’t Canada Document: Chapter3: A Made-In-Canada Plan: Affordable Energy, Good Jobs, and a Growing Clean Economy
c) Canada introduces 30% refundable investment tax credits for energy storage By Andy Colthorpe, November 4, 2022
d) Canadian Investment Tax Credits for Clean Technologies and Clean Hydrogen Announced in 2022 Fall Economic Statement, November 15, 2022
e) CleanTechNorth: Webinar Recording: New Clean Technology Tax Credits – Part 2: The Budget & How They Will Work, Apr 5, 2023
f) CleanTechNorth: Webinar Recording: New Tax Credits for Clean Technologies – Part 1: What We Anticipate, February 9, 2023
g) 30% Canadian Investment Tax Credits for Clean Technologies By Alysha, Jan. 12, 2023
h) Federal Gov’t Website: Clean Growth Hub
i) Private Sector Website: Energy Hub – Canada’s Clean Energy Reference Source
j) Baywa-re.ca: Canadian Solar Rebates, Incentives and Tax Credits
k) Solacity.com: Solar Incentives and Rebates in Canada
l) Solar-x.ca: Solar Incentives and Rebates in Canada 2023 UPDATED
m) IESO’s Save on Energy agriculture incentives: Get growing with incentives
n) Gov’t of Canada: Agricultural programs and services

8) Short Link to this page: ClimateSAN.org/agv