A newly announced solar energy project in California highlights legislation that will fast-track such efforts, bringing more green energy to the state while revitalizing otherwise-unused farmland.
Gov. Gavin Newsom in March announced the certification of the Cornucopia Hybrid Project. This allows for legal challenges to be expedited, which could save months or years on the project's completion.
The site encompasses 2,000 acres in Fresno County, in the central portion of California. As CleanTechnica reports, it is on "non-prime agricultural land," meaning the installation of solar panels in fields won't disrupt farmland of high value. When complete, the project will create 300 megawatts of solar power and 300 megawatts of battery storage, enough energy to power up to 300,000 homes in the area.
"By fast-tracking critical projects like this one in Fresno, we're creating good-paying jobs, cutting pollution, and building a cleaner, more reliable energy grid to serve Californians for generations," Newsom said.
In 2021, California passed a law allowing the governor to certify judicial streamlining for certain eco-friendly energy and housing projects. That process was extended with 2023's Senate Bill 149.
The Fresno County project also showcases a new method of putting solar panels on non-prime agricultural land, known as agrivoltaics. Solar farms draw criticism because they take up space that could be used for crops or other valuable farming purposes.
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With agrivoltaics, however, solar panels are used in conjunction with farmland, not in opposition to it. It may involve placing the panels above crops that require large amounts of shade or utilizing locations that also feature livestock. The farmers who own and maintain land used for agrivoltaics gain an additional income source.
Such projects are already finding success in Australia and elsewhere around the globe.
As CleanTechnica put it, "Nobody can stop the agrivoltaic revolution."
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