A community experiment in Colorado has shown that there are significant benefits to establishing solar farms; and some of the best keepers of solar farms could be farmers who are already raising crops.
A struggling Colorado farmer took a gamble and invested in solar panels with hopes that selling power back to the grid could be more profitable than continuing to farm alfalfa. To embark on the venture, he needed to petition the county government to rezone his farmland so solar panel construction could be permitted. The presence of the solar panels on the farmland boosted the production of many crops that thrived in the partial shade cast by them. The solar panels reduced evaporation and the farmer's dependence on scarce irrigated water and he began earning income from harvesting solar power while continuing to farm.
The biggest impact isn’t a single farm–it’s the story that opens the door for others to follow his lead.
Share this story and start a conversation. Shifting to renewable energy will require changes to large swaths of land; and many people are apprehensive about change. However, one small change can bring second and third order positive effects that benefit us all.