Biology Researcher’s Paper Explores Agriculture Practices, Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Systems

By Josh Rhoten

Matt Sturchio, a former graduate student and researcher in the Department of Biology, is the first author on a new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences assessing the relationships between agriculture practices in the U.S. and solar energy and photovoltaic systems.

The paper – titled Ecologically Informed Solar Enables a Sustainable Energy Transition in U.S. Croplands – envisions sustainable agroecosystems that can result from converting a small proportion of corn ethanol croplands into ecologically informed solar facilities.

The authors argue that U.S. croplands are ideal environments for solar photovoltaic (PV) energy because they are flat and have a high solar resource. However, perceived threats of solar to agriculture have led some stakeholders to suggest that croplands be used exclusively to produce food.