Full Title: Impacts of Agrisolar Co-Location on the Food–Energy–Water Nexus and Economic Security
Author(s): Jacob T. Stid, Siddharth Shukla, Anthony D. Kendall, Annick Anctil, David W. Hyndman, Jeremy Rapp & Robert P. Anex
Publisher(s): Nature Journal
Publication Date: April 21, 2025
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Understanding how solar PV installations affect the landscape and its critical resources is crucial to achieve sustainable net-zero energy production. To enhance this understanding, we investigate the consequences of converting agricultural fields to solar photovoltaic installations, which we refer to as ‘agrisolar’ co-location. We present a food, energy, water and economic impact analysis of agricultural output offset by agrisolar co-location for 925 arrays (2.53 GWp covering 3,930 ha) spanning the California Central Valley. We find that agrisolar co-location displaces food production but increases economic security and water sustainability for farmers. Given the unprecedented pace of solar PV expansion globally, these results highlight the need for a deeper understanding of the multifaceted outcomes of agricultural and solar PV co-location decisions.