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Dive Brief:
A Virginia bill signed June 17 codified a state definition for agrivoltaics – defining it in part as the “intentional co-location of agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land” – which agrivoltaic proponents say will expand distributed generation and potentially revitalize fallow farmland.
The final version of the bill omitted language about creating a stakeholder group which would establish criteria for qualifying projects, figure out how to monitor them and consider “permitting or other incentives” to promote agrivoltaics. The administration of Gov. Abigail Spanberger, D, will create that group on an executive basis, the Virginia Mercury reported.
Lauren Glickman, VP of policy and communications for Encore Renewable Energy, noted that the state is in the “early stages” with agrivoltaics — Spanberger held the bill’s signing ceremony at the state’s first crop-based agrivoltaics project, which launched in October. “That gives you a lot of opportunity to set a really strong foundation for how we can build this up across Virginia,” Glickman told Utility Dive.
