Agricultural photovoltaic support bidding announcement

What is the agrivoltaic Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)?

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) has three areas of interest: Resources for replicable and scalable agrivoltaics that lower the barrier of entry to agrivoltaics, making it easier for interested agricultural producers and solar developers to benefit from the opportunities that agrivoltaics provides.

How can agrivoltaics benefit agricultural producers and solar developers?

Some projects will study how agrivoltaics can integrate into existing or enable new social and economic structures, while others will develop resources that will lower the barriers of entry to agrivoltaics, making it easier for agricultural producers and solar developers to benefit from these opportunities.

Who is funding agrivoltaics?

Federal agencies, including USDA and the U.S. Department of Energy have provided funding to this emerging sector. The funding provided by DOE more than tripled from 2021 to 2022 (see chart) and included $8 million through a new initiative focused on examining the benefits of agrivoltaics for farmers and rural communities.

Could agrivoltaics help the EU achieve 720 GW direct current?

Combining farming and solar photovoltaic electricity production – known as agrivoltaics - on a mere 1% of EU utilised agricultural area (UAA) could help to surpass the EU’s 2030 targets - 720 GW direct current - for solar energy generation.

Could agrivoltaics be a solution?

Combining agriculture and solar on the same piece of land might be a solution, which is why DOE is funding $15 million in research on how agrivoltaics could work for farmers, the solar industry, and communities. Agrivoltaics is still a nascent business model.

How much money does USDA provide for agrivoltaics research?

USDA provided $10 million for agrivoltaics research through the USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture in 2021 and $2.2 million through the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities in 2022 among other funding. Additionally, the USDA, Agricultural Research Service initiated three agrivoltaics research projects in 2023.