How do we learn something unfamiliar to us, something we know nothing about?
One way is through research. This is why a program to study the blending of green energy generation and food production from the same land is an exciting prospect for New York, a state that needs both. Legislation to create an agrivoltaics research program at Cornell University has been signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Agrivoltaics is defined as the combination of technologies that allows land use for food cultivation and renewable energy production.
The research program, which is designated for Cornell University’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, will, in simple terms, provide guidance on growing multiple types of crops near solar arrays. The science behind it is more complex. State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-41, who co-sponsored the bill, said the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences program will help create a balance between the need for increased renewable energy and local food production.
“The path to solving the climate crisis requires expanding renewable energy projects to achieve our clean energy goals,” Hinchey said Tuesday. “However, this effort has historically harmed our local food supply, often taking prime farmland out of production and putting farms out of business. The new Agrivoltaics Research Program at Cornell College of Agricultural and Life Sciences will help change this dynamic.”
Albert Einstein once remarked that the unknown is the common ground where science and art meet. Finding the common ground between our clean energy needs and the security of our local food supply is the mission Cornell University will undertake. We now possess the means we need to accomplish it.