FARMS stands for Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale. Agrivoltaics is the combination of electricity and food production that occurs on the same land. With a going global populating and demand for food, research into this field and other sustainable farms practices could be the key to avoiding future food shortages. Click the link below to learn more about agrivoltaics.
Read What is Agrivoltaics?
What is FARMS?
FARMS is a solar funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced on May 5 of this year. This program will award $8 million in funding for projects that, “examine how agrivoltaics can scale up to provide new economic opportunities to farmers, rural communities, and the solar industry.”
The DOE defines agrivoltaics as “agricultural production, such as crop production, livestock grazing, and pollinator habitat that exists underneath solar panels and/or in between rows of solar panels.”
SOTE’s created this funding opportunity with the goal or reducing the barriers to meeting the Biden administration’s goals for decarbonizing the electricity sector by 2035 pertaining to utility scale and community solar applications. Projects that receive funding will be those that conduct research into how agrivoltaics impacts agriculture and energy production, how agrivoltaics can be integrated into existing social and economic structures, and how to make it easier for agricultural producers and solar developers to benefit from agrivolatic applications.
Read 2 Benefits of Agrivoltaics for Solar Developers
Learn more
There is expected to be between 4 and 6 FARMS awards, each ranging from $1-2 million. If you would like to learn more about FARMS, click here to head to the DOE’s website. To apply for a FARMS award, click here.
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Read 3 Benefits of Agrivoltaics for Farmers & Agricultural Managers
If you are interested in implementing renewable or energy efficiency systems on your farmland or at your facility, parter with EnergyLink. We are a national certified ESCO that designs projects for commercial and industrial organizations and offers a variety of financial modeling and project funding opportunity. Click the button below to get started.
