Australian Guide to Agrisolar for Large-Scale Solar
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AUSTRALIAN GUIDE TO AGRISOLAR FOR LARGE-SCALE SOLAR For proponents and farmers March 2021 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABOUT THIS REPORT CONTENTS Many people across the renewable This guide has been developed to 3 Section 1: energy and agriculture sectors share knowledge and learnings from Agrisolar overview contributed to the content in this agrisolar practices around Australia 1.1 Introduction guide. The Clean Energy Council is very and the world, to assist proponents of 1.2 What is agrisolar? grateful for the time and expertise they utility-scale solar, and the landholders contributed. and farmers who work with them, to 1.3 Compatibility of We would particularly like to thank integrate agricultural activities into solar and agricultural the companies and farmers who solar farm projects. production contributed their insights to solar As solar grazing is the dominant form 13 Section 2: grazing in Australia, including farmers of agrisolar for utility-scale solar, this Solar grazing Eddie Rovers, Tom Warren, Damien guide has a strong focus on sharing 2.1 Introduction Sexton, Peter Cheal and Cr Ken Keith the knowledge and learnings from 2.2 Benefits of solar grazing OAM, and organisations Akuo Energy, Australian projects that have integrated BCJE Australia, Beon, Bouygues solar grazing practices to date, 20 Section 3: Construction Australia, Canadian Solar, providing: Guidance for solar grazing Downer, Enel Green Power, Energy 3.1 Considerations for • case studies from solar farms Estate, ESCO Pacific, FRV, Goldwind, proponents Gransolar, Impact Investment currently employing solar grazing 3.2 Considerations for Group, Maoneng, Neoen, Octopus • information on the benefits of solar graziers Investments, University of Queensland, grazing for proponents and farmers and UPC\AC. In addition, the Clean 3.3 The grazier/proponent Energy Council would like to thank Lisa • practical guidance for both farmers relationship and proponents considering solar Stiebel (Neoen) whose initiative and 29 Section 4: Other emerging grazing (see Sections 2 and 3). support helped bring this guide to life. Forms of agrisolar The Clean Energy Council acknowledges A further aim is to contribute to the 4.1 Ground mounted pv local knowledge of trends and research the support and expertise of our 4.2 Solar greenhouses international counterparts SolarPower from international markets about a 4.3 Elevated pv systems Europe, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar broader range of agrisolar models Energy Systems and the American Solar which could be considered for the 38 Section 5: Resources Grazing Association. Australian context. An overview of these practices are discussed in Sections 1 40 Appendices We are also grateful to the many and 4. people and organisations who provided advice and feedback including the National Wind Farm Commissioner’s Office, Agriculture Victoria, the Queensland Farmers Federation, NSW Farmers, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Farm Renewables Consulting, Realliance and Wynergy. Front cover photo: Sheep at Finley Solar Farm (merinos and merino-cross dorsets) rest in the shade of solar panels. / ESCO Pacific INDEX OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AGRISOLAR OVERVIEW When the solar farm comes to the end Appendix 2, of its life, will the land be returned to the page 43 What is agrisolar? page 6 way it was before? What are the benefits of agrisolar? pages How difficult is it for the land to Appendix 2, 8 and 10 be restored after a solar farm is page 43 FOR FARMERS decommissioned? Crops FOR PROPONENTS What crops grow under panels? Box 5, page 12 What are the benefits of agrisolar? page 10 What is the effect on the crops Box 4, page 11 What is the most common form of page 14 under panels? agrisolar for large-scale solar? What agrisolar and crop innovation Box 16 and 17, What crops are compatible with pages is happening in Australia? pages 36 and 37 solar farms? 6, 12 and 30 Grazing What agrisolar innovation is happening Boxes 15 - 17, in Australia? pages What are the benefits of grazing on page 15 33, 36 and 37 a solar farm? Solar grazing Which sheep breeds are suitable? page 24 What are the benefits of solar grazing? page 15 Can I graze cattle or goats? page 14 and Box 6, What do I need to consider to incorporate pages page 17 grazing? 21 - 23 Can I access the sheep whenever I need to? page 25 Can solar grazing be introduced on page 21 an existing solar farm? Does solar grazing impact sheep wellbeing? page 26 What changes need to be made to an pages How do I muster around solar panels? page 26 existing solar farm to make it compatible 22 and 23 for grazing? Can I approach a solar farm proponent page 27 about grazing on their farm? Where do I find a grazier? page 27 What should I do if a proponent page 27 What should be included within an page 28 approaches me about grazing? agreement with a grazier? Impacts of solar farms Why can’t solar farms avoid farming Appendix 2, land altogether and be located in remote page 42 locations away from communities and farming activities? Do solar farms cause a ‘heat island effect’? Appendix 2, page 42 Do solar farms increase the fire risk in our Appendix 2, community? page 43 Do solar farms cause glint and glare? Appendix 2, page 43 1 FOREWORD Since the early days of the renewable energy sector in Australia, project proponents and farmers have worked hand-in-hand to harness the power of the wind and sun. Proponents have benefited from access to cleared land near the electricity transmission network, and rural landholders have benefited from the opportunity to supplement their agribusiness income and ride through the ups and downs of commodity cycles and weather events. With the emergence of utility-scale solar in Australia in the mid-2010s, which has a more dense footprint than wind farms over a smaller area, there is growing interest in exploring and promoting new models for complementary solar energy and agricultural production. Agrisolar has quickly taken off in Australia in the form of ‘solar grazing’, which is now the predominant form of land co-use, both here and internationally. This guide has been designed to share the learnings of the solar grazing experience to date to encourage more proponents and farmers to take up the highly successful practice. KANE THORNTON Importantly, however, the guide also aims to accelerate our understanding of the CHIEF EXECUTIVE immense opportunities for solar projects to support a wide range of other food CLEAN ENERGY COUNCIL and fibre growing activities and biodiversity outcomes, from horticulture and viticulture to cropping and beekeeping. We look forward to the partnership between the clean energy and farming sectors going from strength-to-strength as we embrace new, innovative ways to maximise land productivity in Australia and support the long-term success of renewable energy in regional communities across the country. 2 SECTION 1: AGRISOLAR OVERVIEW Grazier Ken Ikin and BJCE Asset Manager Leo Pearce inspect pasture on Gullen Solar Farm before the reintroduction of sheep. / BJCE Australia 3 1.1 INTRODUCTION Since the mid-2010s, Australia has seen the development of many solar farms in regional areas, reflecting the sharp fall in the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, making it now the lowest-cost form of electricity. As the sector grows, there is increasing Where solar farms are proposed and With the deployment of large utility- interest in exploring and promoting developed, there is increasing interest scale solar farms commencing in new models for complementary solar in exploring the opportunities for Australia from around 2015 onwards, energy and agricultural production. complementary agricultural activities the local experience of agrisolar This coupling is known by a range which can benefit from a number of the practices is still developing and of interchangeable terms including valuable characteristics of solar arrays, currently dominated by the practice ‘agrisolar’ (used in this guide), including: of sheep grazing on solar farms. The ‘agrivoltaics’, ‘agrophotovoltaics (APV)’ first known Australian solar farm to • the provision of partial shading and ‘solar sharing’. implement agrisolar practice was the and weather protection (including Royalla Solar Farm which began grazing Utility-scale solar (generally considered sun, rain, hail and wind) sheep in 2015. Since then, there have to be greater than 5 MW) typically • protection from predators for been over a dozen solar farms that have requires access to relatively flat sheep introduced grazing, and it has proved or gently sloping land in sunny to be an effective partnership for both areas within proximity to electricity • improved soil moisture retention, solar farm proponents and graziers. transmission networks, where which can lead to improved ‘Solar grazing’, as it is known, is the biodiversity impacts can be avoided vegetation growth for some crops most prevalent form of complementary or minimised. This often means beneath the panels, as shown in land use for utility-scale solar farms. At that land which has been previously international studies.1 present, where other forms of agrisolar cleared or zoned for agricultural use Agrisolar was first proposed in are being pursued in horticulture, is well-situated to host solar farm Germany in 1981.2 Since then, local viticulture, aquaculture and cropping, it developments. and international trials and research, is typically at a much smaller (ie. non- Many companies working within the particularly in the past five years, utility) scale. Australian utility-scale solar sector have have shown that solar energy and committed to minimising the impacts agricultural production can be highly on highly productive agricultural land compatible and mutually beneficial. (see the Clean Energy Council’s Best Government funding programs across Practice Charter for Renewable Energy the world have led to a rapid increase of Developments in Appendix 1) and agrisolar from 5 MW installed capacity exploring opportunities to integrate in 2012 to at least 2.8 GW in 2020.3 continued agricultural production into projects.