BILL NUMBER: S7081

SPONSOR: HINCHEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to estab-
lishing the agrivoltaics research program

 
PURPOSE:

This bill creates the agrivoltaics research program Center for Agrivol-
talcs Research, headquartered at New. York State's Land Grant College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences (Cornell CALS). The purpose of the legis-
lation is to ensure that In the implementation of the goals of the
Climate Leadership and Community Protection At for 70% renewable energy
electricity generation by 2030, New York State also develops science
based strategies to better facilitate the co-location, or dual use, of
agricultural lands with large and small scale solar arrays. Research at
Cornell University has shown that 40% of New York's existing large scale
solar arrays have been constructed on farmland. It can be expected that
additional acres of farmland will be sited for solar development over
the next several years, and the challenge before the state is to develop
science-based recommendations that facilitate the sustainable Intensifi-
              

cation of cropping systems for food production, encourage biodiversity,
and enable the co-location of renewable energy generation.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Establishes the agrivoltaics research program. This legis-
lation adds a new paragraph 53 In the general powers and duties of the
Commissioner, authorizing the establishment of a Center for Agrivoltaics
Research and empowering such Center to conduct research on the agricul-
tural experiment station lands stewarded by Cornell University, as well
as other locations including private sector sited arrays as deemed
appropriate for cropping and/or bbdivemity research.

Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Agrivoltaics, or the smart usage of land under solar arrays for two
purposes - growing crops and producing energy- will meet the twin goals
of bolstering New York's food production In a changing climate while
reducing tension amongst land use and siting issues in primarily rural
communities during the rapid build out of renewable energy necessary to
meet the state's CLCPA goals. Key questions to ask include the types of
solar array configurations that will work best for vegetables, small
fruits, as well as field and perennial forage crops In New York
settings. For instance, strip cropping or other to be developed novel
cropping systems amongst a large-scale solar array may take additional
land for a large-scale solar installation, but may confer food
production benefits and enable the dual use of the land so that farming
systems can continue no matter the soil type. The reality of a large-
scale solar installation is that both the economic viability of the
crop, including labor costs of planting and harvesting, as well as the
microclimate created by the panels needs to be weighed and understood to
enable efficient agrivoltaics. The Center will focus on the integration
of digital agriculture (including robotics) to comprehensively look not
only at the crops that can grow underneath solar arrays, the configura-
tions that facilitate agrivoltaics, but also the economics and smaller
scale machinery/robOtics development that fadlitates actual planting and
harvesting. Facilitating a consistent investment in R&D funding for a
few years to enable the development of holistic agrivoltalcs systems,
that work both to improve environmental and economic sustainability,
will drastically help facilitate a transition to a renewable energy
economy with-profitable farms raising two crops - food and energy.
Additionally, this Center will also be tasked with exploring, monitor-
ing, and recommending appropriate siting strategies that encourage
blodiversity, including grassland bird habitat management s trategies,
in reflection of the United Nations and the IPCC's renewed focus on the
connections between climate change and threats to global biodiversity.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Budget Request for $1M annually reoccurring investment for 3 years.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This bill shall take effect immediately.