Tell your state leaders to support and incentivize agrivoltaic greenhouses!

An agrivoltaic greenhouse project has been built to grow kiwi fruit in southeastern France. The greenhouses improve cultivation by protecting the kiwi from bacterial blight disease and extreme weather damage — and preventing exposure to the mistral winds means that less water is required for irrigation. Furthermore, the two greenhouses collectively host 5 MW of solar capacity, providing electricity to 3,000 people in the region.

“The greenhouse provides us with a controlled environment that protects our crops and allows us to improve our yields.

Thanks to this infrastructure, we can look to the future with peace of mind and better control of climate risks.”

— Jacques Fereyre, farmer

This is a great example of simultaneous climate action and climate resilience (generating clean electrons while ruggedizing food production) and an excellent model to scale up around the world!

“This project demonstrates that it is possible to reconcile renewable energy production and sustainable agricultural development without compromise.”

— Benoît Duval, clean energy CEO.

There’s no reason why agrivoltaic greenhouses can’t be built in every U.S. state — and there’s a great opportunity for state leaders to help bolster resilient local food production and abundant clean energy in one fell swoop. State policymakers should help spread the word on this model as well as proactively supporting and incentivizing agrivoltaic greenhouses in state legal codes, providing clear and favorable tax and regulatory structures plus a fast and easy permitting process.

Tell your state leaders to support and incentivize agrivoltaic greenhouses!