Gov. Abigail Spanberger joined Virginia Farm Bureau and Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) members on June 17 at PEC’s Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows in Loudoun County. The farm is the site s first crop-based agrivoltaics project. PJR courtesy photo by VFB.
With pressure mounting statewide to preserve farmland while expanding clean energy infrastructure, Virginia farmers were essential in shaping the official definition of ‘agrivoltaics’ before others could define it for them.
A formal definition for agrivoltaics, which integrates solar energy into agricultural production, is crucial for well-developed, properly sited agrivoltaics, and preventing poorly developed projects. Codifying its definition also serves as a framework for building policy and incentive structures for agrivoltaics projects…