Maryland has committed to rapidly expanding the production of renewable energy – including solar – while also maintaining strong commitments to land conservation and farmland preservation. While these priorities are not inherently incompatible, they do create practical questions about where renewable energy infrastructure should be located, how agricultural land should be protected, and whether new models of shared land use can help reduce conflict.
This study, conducted by the Environmental Finance Center (EFC) and the National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG) at the University of Maryland, entailed three interrelated elements: a review of major policy and regulatory drivers shaping solar development and agricultural land preservation in Maryland; a land use analysis to understand the physical landscape and potential for co-locating solar facilities and agricultural production across the state; and a set of interviews with key stakeholders to determine perceptions and on-the-ground realities around agrivoltaics. Its goal is to contribute to ongoing discussions around where policy tensions exist, what land use opportunities may be technically feasible, and how different stakeholders understand the tradeoffs that may be involved.
The pending final report explores the relationship between renewable energy development and agricultural land use in Maryland. In particular, it considers agrivoltaics as one possible approach for navigating these competing land use priorities. Broadly defined as the co-location of solar energy generation and agricultural production, agrivoltaics has emerged as one possible strategy for simultaneously achieving Maryland’s solar development and agricultural land preservation targets.
Partners:
National Center for Smart Growth Research & Education
Sponsor:
Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology
Team Members: