Oregon State University's Nexus of Energy, Water and Agriculture Laboratory (NEWAg), Corvallis, Ore., is partnering with the Oregon Clean Power Cooperative (OCPC) to build a research farm that will co-develop land for solar energy and agriculture. "Agrivoltaics provide a rare chance for true synergy: [improved land-use efficiency], more food, more energy, lower water demand, lower carbon emissions, and more prosperous rural communities," states a recent NEWAg study in the journal Sustainability. The study finds that widespread installation of solar arrays on farms could provide 20% of the total U.S. electricity generation, if less than 1% of the nation's annual budget was invested in rural infrastructure. It also said agrivoltaics could reduce carbon dioxide emissions-the equivalent of removing 71,000 cars from the road annually-and create more than 100,000 rural jobs.
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