Somos Solar Commercial & Industrial Energy Company
Agrivoltaics
Agrivoltaics are the blend of agriculture and photovoltaics, utilizing space and land for both food cultivation and power production. This is important because increases in weather severity means that crops face increasing threats from extreme heat, wind, and drought. We find that incorporating a photovoltaic array, many crops benefit extraordinarily from the shade and protection from these elements. A recent study showed that cultivation of berries is increased significantly with a photovoltaic array. Even more importantly, the farmer or nearby businesses benefit from renewable energy. This symbiotic relationship benefits the farmer in multiple ways.
Agrivoltaics are still in early development, however the data is very promising. Mostly agrivoltaics is still in a research phase where smaller scale projects are conducting further tests to see specifically which crops are benefitting the most from partial shading. There are a few select larger scale implementations in the United States, with many more to come by 2025.
Somos is proud to be able to help pioneer this emerging field. We are currently working on the early stages of a state-of-the-art agrivoltaic project in southern New Mexico with a commercial operations date estimated to be in spring of 2024.
Through the recent Inflation Reduction Act and various other grant programs, businesses and government entities can now have the means to conduct more in-depth research into this exciting field. This up-and-coming industry represents the single biggest investment in renewable energy infrastructure ever. Somos has partnered with the latest minds and technology groups to bring this industry and innovation to New Mexico.
