By Bennett Schmitt
In the 2024-25 academic year, a group of students led by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, Keough School of Global Affairs, conducted a research project examining agrivoltaics practices and policies in several European countries to craft a policy brief relevant to the context of the State of Indiana. This brief, now published in the Keough School of Global Affairs Publication Series, summarizes their findings and provides several policy recommendations for Indiana. The student team hopes to have the opportunity to present these findings to the Indiana State Legislature in the future.
Indiana consistently ranks among the top states for agricultural production in the United States. However, increasing energy demands and a growing push to transition to land-intensive clean energy sources have seemingly placed the state’s agriculture and energy sectors in direct opposition. Agrivoltaics, however, might be a solution. It is the dual use of land for agricultural production and solar energy generation, which can be adjusted to local crop types and climate conditions, uniquely positioning it to meet growing energy demands without sacrificing valuable farmland. Recognizing the need to align policy across these two major sectors, the Nanovic Institute launched an agrivoltaics policy project during the 2024-25 academic year to develop a policy framework capable of facilitating the implementation of this emerging technology, which has the potential to integrate agriculture and energy generation in Indiana.
Source : nd.edu