COURSE DESCRIPTION

For centuries farmers have worked the land and provided agricultural and forestry products to meet demands for food. However, the demands of a growing society require renewable forms of energy to begin to replace traditional non-renewable resources. Since land and climatic conditions suitable for agriculture are finite, solar development may compete with agricultural land use, prompting the need for novel land use solutions to accommodate both energy and food demands.

This course explores the context of solar development and agriculture. This course then discusses how the two sectors can interact and efficiently operate in the same spaces.

This course is based on the publication Balancing Agricultural Productivity with Ground-Based Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Development

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end which is intended 1 hour of professional development.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this course, the student will have learned or been exposed to the following:

• Development of Renewable Energy in North Carolina
• Landowner Land Use Choice and Regulations
• Solar Facility Construction
• Duration of Solar Use
• Solar PV Land Use
• Solar PV Impact on Agricultural Productivity