Amended IN Senate April 17, 2023 Amended IN Senate March 20, 2023 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20232024 REGULAR SESSION Senate Bill No. 688Introduced by Senator PadillaFebruary 16, 2023 An act to amend Section 51201 of the Government Code, and to add Section 25237 25238 to the Public Resources Code, relating to energy.LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSB 688, as amended, Padilla. Agrivoltaic systems: grant funding.Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the states clean energy and pollution reduction objectives. This bill, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, would require the commission to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems and study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms farms, on the states agricultural economy, and on electricity generated from solar panels. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding. The bill would require the commission to conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.The Williamson Act authorizes a city or county to contract with a landowner to limit the use of land devoted to agricultural use or located in an agricultural preserve designated by the city or county in exchange for reduced property tax assessments. This bill would specify that the use of land for an agrivoltaic system pursuant to the bills provisions is an agricultural use for purposes of the Williamson Act. The bill also would make numerous nonsubstantive changes to the provision defining terms for purposes of the act.Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill TextThe people of the State of California do enact as follows:SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) California should lead the nation in deployment of agrivoltaic systems, which are solar energy systems integrated into agricultural production within the same land area, also referred to as agrisolar or dual-use solar.(b) Agrivoltaic systems enable farmers to harvest both agricultural products and solar energy from the same acre of land, improving overall land productivity. Important potential cobenefits include reduced water, fertilizer, and pesticide consumption, improved soil health and crop productivity, and meaningful revenue or energy cost savings for farmers.(c) Agrivoltaics can promote California agriculture by helping farmers keep their land in productive agricultural use, rather than being converted to alternate land uses due to cost pressures, water availability, or commercial development.(d) California faces significant energy reliability challenges and agrivoltaics offer an important use case for combined solar and energy storage systems, promoting energy resilience in rural communities, and protecting the food supply chain.(e) Agrivoltaics offer a promising win-win solution that experts say could be applied across 8,100 square miles of United States farmland, mostly in the western states where irrigated agriculture is most common, generating 1,350 gigawatthours of clean electricity, which is more than enough to power every home in the country.(f) Development of agrivoltaic systems can also further the goal of conservation of 30 percent of Californias working lands by 2030.(g) Agrivoltaic systems should be developed in a manner that protects agricultural lands and production of agricultural commodities. The state should use its authority under state programs and policies to ensure the avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of significant adverse impacts on working lands and agricultural production, and monitoring and adaptive management of agrivoltaic systems and their associated infrastructure.SEC. 2.Section 51201 of the Government Code is amended to read:51201.As used in this chapter, unless otherwise apparent from the context, the following terms have the following meanings:(a)Agricultural commodity means any and all plant and animal products produced in this state for commercial purposes, including, but not limited to, plant products used for producing biofuels, and industrial hemp cultivated in accordance with Division 24 (commencing with Section 81000) of the Food and Agricultural Code.(b)Agricultural use means use of land, including, but not limited to, greenhouses, for the purpose of producing an agricultural commodity for commercial purposes. The use of land for an agrivoltaic system pursuant to Section 25237 of the Public Resources Code is an agricultural use.(c)Prime agricultural land means any of the following:(1)All land that qualifies for rating as class I or class II in the Natural Resource Conservation Service land use capability classifications.(2)Land that qualifies for rating 80 through 100 in the Storie Index Rating.(3)Land that supports livestock used for the production of food and fiber and that has an annual carrying capacity equivalent to at least one animal unit per acre as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture.(4)Land planted with fruit- or nut-bearing trees, vines, bushes, or crops that have a nonbearing period of less than five years and that will normally return during the commercial bearing period on an annual basis from the production of unprocessed agricultural plant production not less than two hundred dollars ($200) per acre.(5)Land that has returned from the production of unprocessed agricultural plant products an annual gross value of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) per acre for three of the previous five years.(d)Agricultural preserve means an area devoted to agricultural use as defined in subdivision (b), recreational use as defined in subdivision (n), open-space use as defined in subdivision (o), or any combination of those uses and that is established in accordance with this chapter.(e)Compatible use means any use determined by the county or city administering the preserve pursuant to Section 51231, 51238, or 51238.1 or by this act to be compatible with the agricultural, recreational, or open-space use of land within the preserve and subject to contract. Compatible use includes agricultural use, recreational use, or open-space use unless the board or council finds after notice and hearing that the use is not compatible with the agricultural, recreational, or open-space use to which the land is restricted by contract pursuant to this chapter.(f)Board means the board of supervisors of a county that establishes or proposes to establish an agricultural preserve or that enters or proposes to enter into a contract on land within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter.(g)Council means the city council of a city that establishes or proposes to establish an agricultural preserve or that enters or proposes to enter into a contract on land within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter.(h)Except where it is otherwise apparent from the context, county or city means the county or city having jurisdiction over the land.(i)Scenic highway corridor means an area adjacent to, and within view of, the right-of-way of either of the following:(1)An existing or proposed state scenic highway in the state scenic highway system established by the Legislature pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 260) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of the Streets and Highways Code and which has been officially designated by the Department of Transportation as an official state scenic highway.(2)A county scenic highway established pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 260) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of the Streets and Highways Code, if all of the following conditions have been met:(A)The scenic highway is included in an adopted general plan of the county or city.(B)The scenic highway corridor is included in an adopted specific plan of the county or city.(C)Specific proposals for implementing the plan, including regulation of land use, have been approved by the Advisory Committee on a Master Plan for Scenic Highways, and the county or city highway has been officially designated by the Department of Transportation as an official county scenic highway.(j)Wildlife habitat area means a land or water area designated by a board or council, after consulting with and considering the recommendation of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, as an area of importance for the protection or enhancement of the wildlife resources of the state.(k)Saltpond means an area that, for at least three consecutive years immediately before being placed within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter, has been used for the solar evaporation of seawater in the course of salt production for commercial purposes.(l)Managed wetland area means an area, which may be an area diked off from the ocean or any bay, river, or stream to which water is occasionally admitted, and that, for at least three consecutive years immediately before being placed within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter, was used and maintained as a waterfowl hunting preserve or game refuge, or for agricultural purposes.(m)Submerged area means any land determined by the board or council to be submerged or subject to tidal action and found by the board or council to be of great value to the state as open space.(n)(1)Recreational use means the use of land in its agricultural or natural state by the public, with or without charge, for any of the following purposes:(A)Walking.(B)Hiking.(C)Picnicking.(D)Camping.(E)Swimming.(F)Boating.(G)Fishing.(H)Hunting.(I)Other outdoor games or sports for which facilities are provided for public participation.(2)Any fee charged for the recreational use of land as defined in this subdivision shall be in a reasonable amount and shall not have the effect of unduly limiting its use by the public. Any ancillary structures necessary for a recreational use shall comply with Section 51238.1.(o)Open-space use means the use or maintenance of land in a manner that preserves its natural characteristics, beauty, or openness for the benefit and enjoyment of the public, to provide habitat for wildlife, or for the solar evaporation of seawater in the course of salt production for commercial purposes, if the land is within any of the following:(1)A scenic highway corridor, as defined in subdivision (i).(2)A wildlife habitat area, as defined in subdivision (j).(3)A saltpond, as defined in subdivision (k).(4)A managed wetland area, as defined in subdivision (l).(5)A submerged area, as defined in subdivision (m).(6)An area enrolled in the United States Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve Program or Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.(p)Development means, as used in Section 51223, the construction of buildings or the use of the restricted property if the buildings or use are unrelated to the agricultural use, the open-space use, or uses compatible with either agricultural or open-space uses of the property, or substantially impair the agricultural, open-space, or a combination of the agricultural and open-space uses of the property. Agricultural use, open-space use, uses compatible with either agricultural or open-space uses, or the acquisition of land or an interest in land are not development.SEC. 3.Section 25237 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:25237.(a)SEC. 2. Section 25238 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:25238. (a) For purposes of this section, agrivoltaic system means a dual-use solar photovoltaic energy system and agricultural activities colocated in specified areas of land, whereby elevated solar photovoltaic panels are installed above active agricultural lands, at heights and configurations that ensure the simultaneous use of the land for agricultural activities beneath or between rows of solar photovoltaic panels.(b) (1) The commission shall award grants for agrivoltaic system projects pursuant to this section to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems.(2) An agrivoltaic system project awarded grant funding pursuant to this section shall be used to study the economic, social, energy, and agricultural productivity impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms and the states agricultural economy, to the extent funding is available, in different regions of the state with different climate conditions, and to study the impact of agrivoltaic systems on electricity generated from solar panels.(b)(c) Eligible grant recipients include, but are not limited to, the University of California, the California State University, and community colleges.(c)(d) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding pursuant to this section.(d)(e) (1) The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the grant program. For purposes of the evaluation, the commission shall do all of the following:(A) Monitor the quality of the agricultural output of farms with agrivoltaic systems.(B) Consider the location and diversity of agricultural production operations throughout the state.(C) Consider impacts on crop productivity, soil health, cultivation practices, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and microclimatic conditions across diverse farming systems and agrivoltaic system designs.(D) Consider impacts and implications for the economy, including on-farm economics and the agricultural economy, and public welfare.(E) Assess the states needs for both energy and food production, available land and existing land use competition, annual solar radiation, the percentage of ground covered by solar panels, and the available area per farm that is able to support an agrivoltaic system.(F) Assess the role agrivoltaic systems could play in meeting the states energy, climate, and food production goals.(G) Assess the feasibility, cost implications, and efficiency of agrivoltaic system technology, including potential energy yields from farmland with consideration for the states energy demands, increased land use efficiencies, potential reductions in the amount of water required for irrigation, and the potential impact on utility rates.(H) Assess the cost of capital investments and potential cost implications considering the full lifespan of agrivoltaic system technology.(I) Assess and make recommendations regarding solar design and crop layout and rotations for different climates within the state, to the extent funding is available.(2) The commission shall make the evaluation described in this subdivision publicly available on the commissions internet website.(e)(f) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall do all of the following for purposes of the grant program:(1) Maximize the benefits of the grant program for farmland.(2) Maximize energy production from agrivoltaic system projects and cost savings for farms.(3) Collaborate with farmers in the development and implementation of the grant program.(f)(g) Notwithstanding any other law, land that is zoned for agricultural use or otherwise designated as agricultural land shall not lose that designation because of an agrivoltaic system project funded pursuant to this section.(g)(h) The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section.
Amended IN Senate April 17, 2023 Amended IN Senate March 20, 2023 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20232024 REGULAR SESSION Senate Bill No. 688Introduced by Senator PadillaFebruary 16, 2023 An act to amend Section 51201 of the Government Code, and to add Section 25237 25238 to the Public Resources Code, relating to energy.LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSB 688, as amended, Padilla. Agrivoltaic systems: grant funding.Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the states clean energy and pollution reduction objectives. This bill, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, would require the commission to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems and study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms farms, on the states agricultural economy, and on electricity generated from solar panels. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding. The bill would require the commission to conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.The Williamson Act authorizes a city or county to contract with a landowner to limit the use of land devoted to agricultural use or located in an agricultural preserve designated by the city or county in exchange for reduced property tax assessments. This bill would specify that the use of land for an agrivoltaic system pursuant to the bills provisions is an agricultural use for purposes of the Williamson Act. The bill also would make numerous nonsubstantive changes to the provision defining terms for purposes of the act.Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO
Amended IN Senate April 17, 2023 Amended IN Senate March 20, 2023
Amended IN Senate April 17, 2023
Amended IN Senate March 20, 2023
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20232024 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 688
Introduced by Senator PadillaFebruary 16, 2023
Introduced by Senator Padilla
February 16, 2023
An act to amend Section 51201 of the Government Code, and to add Section 25237 25238 to the Public Resources Code, relating to energy.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 688, as amended, Padilla. Agrivoltaic systems: grant funding.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the states clean energy and pollution reduction objectives. This bill, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, would require the commission to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems and study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms farms, on the states agricultural economy, and on electricity generated from solar panels. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding. The bill would require the commission to conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.The Williamson Act authorizes a city or county to contract with a landowner to limit the use of land devoted to agricultural use or located in an agricultural preserve designated by the city or county in exchange for reduced property tax assessments. This bill would specify that the use of land for an agrivoltaic system pursuant to the bills provisions is an agricultural use for purposes of the Williamson Act. The bill also would make numerous nonsubstantive changes to the provision defining terms for purposes of the act.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the states clean energy and pollution reduction objectives.
This bill, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, would require the commission to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems and study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms farms, on the states agricultural economy, and on electricity generated from solar panels. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding. The bill would require the commission to conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.
The Williamson Act authorizes a city or county to contract with a landowner to limit the use of land devoted to agricultural use or located in an agricultural preserve designated by the city or county in exchange for reduced property tax assessments.
This bill would specify that the use of land for an agrivoltaic system pursuant to the bills provisions is an agricultural use for purposes of the Williamson Act. The bill also would make numerous nonsubstantive changes to the provision defining terms for purposes of the act.
## Digest Key
## Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) California should lead the nation in deployment of agrivoltaic systems, which are solar energy systems integrated into agricultural production within the same land area, also referred to as agrisolar or dual-use solar.(b) Agrivoltaic systems enable farmers to harvest both agricultural products and solar energy from the same acre of land, improving overall land productivity. Important potential cobenefits include reduced water, fertilizer, and pesticide consumption, improved soil health and crop productivity, and meaningful revenue or energy cost savings for farmers.(c) Agrivoltaics can promote California agriculture by helping farmers keep their land in productive agricultural use, rather than being converted to alternate land uses due to cost pressures, water availability, or commercial development.(d) California faces significant energy reliability challenges and agrivoltaics offer an important use case for combined solar and energy storage systems, promoting energy resilience in rural communities, and protecting the food supply chain.(e) Agrivoltaics offer a promising win-win solution that experts say could be applied across 8,100 square miles of United States farmland, mostly in the western states where irrigated agriculture is most common, generating 1,350 gigawatthours of clean electricity, which is more than enough to power every home in the country.(f) Development of agrivoltaic systems can also further the goal of conservation of 30 percent of Californias working lands by 2030.(g) Agrivoltaic systems should be developed in a manner that protects agricultural lands and production of agricultural commodities. The state should use its authority under state programs and policies to ensure the avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of significant adverse impacts on working lands and agricultural production, and monitoring and adaptive management of agrivoltaic systems and their associated infrastructure.SEC. 2.Section 51201 of the Government Code is amended to read:51201.As used in this chapter, unless otherwise apparent from the context, the following terms have the following meanings:(a)Agricultural commodity means any and all plant and animal products produced in this state for commercial purposes, including, but not limited to, plant products used for producing biofuels, and industrial hemp cultivated in accordance with Division 24 (commencing with Section 81000) of the Food and Agricultural Code.(b)Agricultural use means use of land, including, but not limited to, greenhouses, for the purpose of producing an agricultural commodity for commercial purposes. The use of land for an agrivoltaic system pursuant to Section 25237 of the Public Resources Code is an agricultural use.(c)Prime agricultural land means any of the following:(1)All land that qualifies for rating as class I or class II in the Natural Resource Conservation Service land use capability classifications.(2)Land that qualifies for rating 80 through 100 in the Storie Index Rating.(3)Land that supports livestock used for the production of food and fiber and that has an annual carrying capacity equivalent to at least one animal unit per acre as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture.(4)Land planted with fruit- or nut-bearing trees, vines, bushes, or crops that have a nonbearing period of less than five years and that will normally return during the commercial bearing period on an annual basis from the production of unprocessed agricultural plant production not less than two hundred dollars ($200) per acre.(5)Land that has returned from the production of unprocessed agricultural plant products an annual gross value of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) per acre for three of the previous five years.(d)Agricultural preserve means an area devoted to agricultural use as defined in subdivision (b), recreational use as defined in subdivision (n), open-space use as defined in subdivision (o), or any combination of those uses and that is established in accordance with this chapter.(e)Compatible use means any use determined by the county or city administering the preserve pursuant to Section 51231, 51238, or 51238.1 or by this act to be compatible with the agricultural, recreational, or open-space use of land within the preserve and subject to contract. Compatible use includes agricultural use, recreational use, or open-space use unless the board or council finds after notice and hearing that the use is not compatible with the agricultural, recreational, or open-space use to which the land is restricted by contract pursuant to this chapter.(f)Board means the board of supervisors of a county that establishes or proposes to establish an agricultural preserve or that enters or proposes to enter into a contract on land within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter.(g)Council means the city council of a city that establishes or proposes to establish an agricultural preserve or that enters or proposes to enter into a contract on land within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter.(h)Except where it is otherwise apparent from the context, county or city means the county or city having jurisdiction over the land.(i)Scenic highway corridor means an area adjacent to, and within view of, the right-of-way of either of the following:(1)An existing or proposed state scenic highway in the state scenic highway system established by the Legislature pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 260) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of the Streets and Highways Code and which has been officially designated by the Department of Transportation as an official state scenic highway.(2)A county scenic highway established pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 260) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of the Streets and Highways Code, if all of the following conditions have been met:(A)The scenic highway is included in an adopted general plan of the county or city.(B)The scenic highway corridor is included in an adopted specific plan of the county or city.(C)Specific proposals for implementing the plan, including regulation of land use, have been approved by the Advisory Committee on a Master Plan for Scenic Highways, and the county or city highway has been officially designated by the Department of Transportation as an official county scenic highway.(j)Wildlife habitat area means a land or water area designated by a board or council, after consulting with and considering the recommendation of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, as an area of importance for the protection or enhancement of the wildlife resources of the state.(k)Saltpond means an area that, for at least three consecutive years immediately before being placed within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter, has been used for the solar evaporation of seawater in the course of salt production for commercial purposes.(l)Managed wetland area means an area, which may be an area diked off from the ocean or any bay, river, or stream to which water is occasionally admitted, and that, for at least three consecutive years immediately before being placed within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter, was used and maintained as a waterfowl hunting preserve or game refuge, or for agricultural purposes.(m)Submerged area means any land determined by the board or council to be submerged or subject to tidal action and found by the board or council to be of great value to the state as open space.(n)(1)Recreational use means the use of land in its agricultural or natural state by the public, with or without charge, for any of the following purposes:(A)Walking.(B)Hiking.(C)Picnicking.(D)Camping.(E)Swimming.(F)Boating.(G)Fishing.(H)Hunting.(I)Other outdoor games or sports for which facilities are provided for public participation.(2)Any fee charged for the recreational use of land as defined in this subdivision shall be in a reasonable amount and shall not have the effect of unduly limiting its use by the public. Any ancillary structures necessary for a recreational use shall comply with Section 51238.1.(o)Open-space use means the use or maintenance of land in a manner that preserves its natural characteristics, beauty, or openness for the benefit and enjoyment of the public, to provide habitat for wildlife, or for the solar evaporation of seawater in the course of salt production for commercial purposes, if the land is within any of the following:(1)A scenic highway corridor, as defined in subdivision (i).(2)A wildlife habitat area, as defined in subdivision (j).(3)A saltpond, as defined in subdivision (k).(4)A managed wetland area, as defined in subdivision (l).(5)A submerged area, as defined in subdivision (m).(6)An area enrolled in the United States Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve Program or Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.(p)Development means, as used in Section 51223, the construction of buildings or the use of the restricted property if the buildings or use are unrelated to the agricultural use, the open-space use, or uses compatible with either agricultural or open-space uses of the property, or substantially impair the agricultural, open-space, or a combination of the agricultural and open-space uses of the property. Agricultural use, open-space use, uses compatible with either agricultural or open-space uses, or the acquisition of land or an interest in land are not development.SEC. 3.Section 25237 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:25237.(a)SEC. 2. Section 25238 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:25238. (a) For purposes of this section, agrivoltaic system means a dual-use solar photovoltaic energy system and agricultural activities colocated in specified areas of land, whereby elevated solar photovoltaic panels are installed above active agricultural lands, at heights and configurations that ensure the simultaneous use of the land for agricultural activities beneath or between rows of solar photovoltaic panels.(b) (1) The commission shall award grants for agrivoltaic system projects pursuant to this section to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems.(2) An agrivoltaic system project awarded grant funding pursuant to this section shall be used to study the economic, social, energy, and agricultural productivity impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms and the states agricultural economy, to the extent funding is available, in different regions of the state with different climate conditions, and to study the impact of agrivoltaic systems on electricity generated from solar panels.(b)(c) Eligible grant recipients include, but are not limited to, the University of California, the California State University, and community colleges.(c)(d) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding pursuant to this section.(d)(e) (1) The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the grant program. For purposes of the evaluation, the commission shall do all of the following:(A) Monitor the quality of the agricultural output of farms with agrivoltaic systems.(B) Consider the location and diversity of agricultural production operations throughout the state.(C) Consider impacts on crop productivity, soil health, cultivation practices, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and microclimatic conditions across diverse farming systems and agrivoltaic system designs.(D) Consider impacts and implications for the economy, including on-farm economics and the agricultural economy, and public welfare.(E) Assess the states needs for both energy and food production, available land and existing land use competition, annual solar radiation, the percentage of ground covered by solar panels, and the available area per farm that is able to support an agrivoltaic system.(F) Assess the role agrivoltaic systems could play in meeting the states energy, climate, and food production goals.(G) Assess the feasibility, cost implications, and efficiency of agrivoltaic system technology, including potential energy yields from farmland with consideration for the states energy demands, increased land use efficiencies, potential reductions in the amount of water required for irrigation, and the potential impact on utility rates.(H) Assess the cost of capital investments and potential cost implications considering the full lifespan of agrivoltaic system technology.(I) Assess and make recommendations regarding solar design and crop layout and rotations for different climates within the state, to the extent funding is available.(2) The commission shall make the evaluation described in this subdivision publicly available on the commissions internet website.(e)(f) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall do all of the following for purposes of the grant program:(1) Maximize the benefits of the grant program for farmland.(2) Maximize energy production from agrivoltaic system projects and cost savings for farms.(3) Collaborate with farmers in the development and implementation of the grant program.(f)(g) Notwithstanding any other law, land that is zoned for agricultural use or otherwise designated as agricultural land shall not lose that designation because of an agrivoltaic system project funded pursuant to this section.(g)(h) The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
## The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) California should lead the nation in deployment of agrivoltaic systems, which are solar energy systems integrated into agricultural production within the same land area, also referred to as agrisolar or dual-use solar.(b) Agrivoltaic systems enable farmers to harvest both agricultural products and solar energy from the same acre of land, improving overall land productivity. Important potential cobenefits include reduced water, fertilizer, and pesticide consumption, improved soil health and crop productivity, and meaningful revenue or energy cost savings for farmers.(c) Agrivoltaics can promote California agriculture by helping farmers keep their land in productive agricultural use, rather than being converted to alternate land uses due to cost pressures, water availability, or commercial development.(d) California faces significant energy reliability challenges and agrivoltaics offer an important use case for combined solar and energy storage systems, promoting energy resilience in rural communities, and protecting the food supply chain.(e) Agrivoltaics offer a promising win-win solution that experts say could be applied across 8,100 square miles of United States farmland, mostly in the western states where irrigated agriculture is most common, generating 1,350 gigawatthours of clean electricity, which is more than enough to power every home in the country.(f) Development of agrivoltaic systems can also further the goal of conservation of 30 percent of Californias working lands by 2030.(g) Agrivoltaic systems should be developed in a manner that protects agricultural lands and production of agricultural commodities. The state should use its authority under state programs and policies to ensure the avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of significant adverse impacts on working lands and agricultural production, and monitoring and adaptive management of agrivoltaic systems and their associated infrastructure.
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) California should lead the nation in deployment of agrivoltaic systems, which are solar energy systems integrated into agricultural production within the same land area, also referred to as agrisolar or dual-use solar.(b) Agrivoltaic systems enable farmers to harvest both agricultural products and solar energy from the same acre of land, improving overall land productivity. Important potential cobenefits include reduced water, fertilizer, and pesticide consumption, improved soil health and crop productivity, and meaningful revenue or energy cost savings for farmers.(c) Agrivoltaics can promote California agriculture by helping farmers keep their land in productive agricultural use, rather than being converted to alternate land uses due to cost pressures, water availability, or commercial development.(d) California faces significant energy reliability challenges and agrivoltaics offer an important use case for combined solar and energy storage systems, promoting energy resilience in rural communities, and protecting the food supply chain.(e) Agrivoltaics offer a promising win-win solution that experts say could be applied across 8,100 square miles of United States farmland, mostly in the western states where irrigated agriculture is most common, generating 1,350 gigawatthours of clean electricity, which is more than enough to power every home in the country.(f) Development of agrivoltaic systems can also further the goal of conservation of 30 percent of Californias working lands by 2030.(g) Agrivoltaic systems should be developed in a manner that protects agricultural lands and production of agricultural commodities. The state should use its authority under state programs and policies to ensure the avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of significant adverse impacts on working lands and agricultural production, and monitoring and adaptive management of agrivoltaic systems and their associated infrastructure.
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
### SECTION 1.
(a) California should lead the nation in deployment of agrivoltaic systems, which are solar energy systems integrated into agricultural production within the same land area, also referred to as agrisolar or dual-use solar.
(b) Agrivoltaic systems enable farmers to harvest both agricultural products and solar energy from the same acre of land, improving overall land productivity. Important potential cobenefits include reduced water, fertilizer, and pesticide consumption, improved soil health and crop productivity, and meaningful revenue or energy cost savings for farmers.
(c) Agrivoltaics can promote California agriculture by helping farmers keep their land in productive agricultural use, rather than being converted to alternate land uses due to cost pressures, water availability, or commercial development.
(d) California faces significant energy reliability challenges and agrivoltaics offer an important use case for combined solar and energy storage systems, promoting energy resilience in rural communities, and protecting the food supply chain.
(e) Agrivoltaics offer a promising win-win solution that experts say could be applied across 8,100 square miles of United States farmland, mostly in the western states where irrigated agriculture is most common, generating 1,350 gigawatthours of clean electricity, which is more than enough to power every home in the country.
(f) Development of agrivoltaic systems can also further the goal of conservation of 30 percent of Californias working lands by 2030.
(g) Agrivoltaic systems should be developed in a manner that protects agricultural lands and production of agricultural commodities. The state should use its authority under state programs and policies to ensure the avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of significant adverse impacts on working lands and agricultural production, and monitoring and adaptive management of agrivoltaic systems and their associated infrastructure.
As used in this chapter, unless otherwise apparent from the context, the following terms have the following meanings:
(a)Agricultural commodity means any and all plant and animal products produced in this state for commercial purposes, including, but not limited to, plant products used for producing biofuels, and industrial hemp cultivated in accordance with Division 24 (commencing with Section 81000) of the Food and Agricultural Code.
(b)Agricultural use means use of land, including, but not limited to, greenhouses, for the purpose of producing an agricultural commodity for commercial purposes. The use of land for an agrivoltaic system pursuant to Section 25237 of the Public Resources Code is an agricultural use.
(c)Prime agricultural land means any of the following:
(1)All land that qualifies for rating as class I or class II in the Natural Resource Conservation Service land use capability classifications.
(2)Land that qualifies for rating 80 through 100 in the Storie Index Rating.
(3)Land that supports livestock used for the production of food and fiber and that has an annual carrying capacity equivalent to at least one animal unit per acre as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture.
(4)Land planted with fruit- or nut-bearing trees, vines, bushes, or crops that have a nonbearing period of less than five years and that will normally return during the commercial bearing period on an annual basis from the production of unprocessed agricultural plant production not less than two hundred dollars ($200) per acre.
(5)Land that has returned from the production of unprocessed agricultural plant products an annual gross value of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) per acre for three of the previous five years.
(d)Agricultural preserve means an area devoted to agricultural use as defined in subdivision (b), recreational use as defined in subdivision (n), open-space use as defined in subdivision (o), or any combination of those uses and that is established in accordance with this chapter.
(e)Compatible use means any use determined by the county or city administering the preserve pursuant to Section 51231, 51238, or 51238.1 or by this act to be compatible with the agricultural, recreational, or open-space use of land within the preserve and subject to contract. Compatible use includes agricultural use, recreational use, or open-space use unless the board or council finds after notice and hearing that the use is not compatible with the agricultural, recreational, or open-space use to which the land is restricted by contract pursuant to this chapter.
(f)Board means the board of supervisors of a county that establishes or proposes to establish an agricultural preserve or that enters or proposes to enter into a contract on land within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter.
(g)Council means the city council of a city that establishes or proposes to establish an agricultural preserve or that enters or proposes to enter into a contract on land within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter.
(h)Except where it is otherwise apparent from the context, county or city means the county or city having jurisdiction over the land.
(i)Scenic highway corridor means an area adjacent to, and within view of, the right-of-way of either of the following:
(1)An existing or proposed state scenic highway in the state scenic highway system established by the Legislature pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 260) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of the Streets and Highways Code and which has been officially designated by the Department of Transportation as an official state scenic highway.
(2)A county scenic highway established pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 260) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of the Streets and Highways Code, if all of the following conditions have been met:
(A)The scenic highway is included in an adopted general plan of the county or city.
(B)The scenic highway corridor is included in an adopted specific plan of the county or city.
(C)Specific proposals for implementing the plan, including regulation of land use, have been approved by the Advisory Committee on a Master Plan for Scenic Highways, and the county or city highway has been officially designated by the Department of Transportation as an official county scenic highway.
(j)Wildlife habitat area means a land or water area designated by a board or council, after consulting with and considering the recommendation of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, as an area of importance for the protection or enhancement of the wildlife resources of the state.
(k)Saltpond means an area that, for at least three consecutive years immediately before being placed within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter, has been used for the solar evaporation of seawater in the course of salt production for commercial purposes.
(l)Managed wetland area means an area, which may be an area diked off from the ocean or any bay, river, or stream to which water is occasionally admitted, and that, for at least three consecutive years immediately before being placed within an agricultural preserve pursuant to this chapter, was used and maintained as a waterfowl hunting preserve or game refuge, or for agricultural purposes.
(m)Submerged area means any land determined by the board or council to be submerged or subject to tidal action and found by the board or council to be of great value to the state as open space.
(n)(1)Recreational use means the use of land in its agricultural or natural state by the public, with or without charge, for any of the following purposes:
(A)Walking.
(B)Hiking.
(C)Picnicking.
(D)Camping.
(E)Swimming.
(F)Boating.
(G)Fishing.
(H)Hunting.
(I)Other outdoor games or sports for which facilities are provided for public participation.
(2)Any fee charged for the recreational use of land as defined in this subdivision shall be in a reasonable amount and shall not have the effect of unduly limiting its use by the public. Any ancillary structures necessary for a recreational use shall comply with Section 51238.1.
(o)Open-space use means the use or maintenance of land in a manner that preserves its natural characteristics, beauty, or openness for the benefit and enjoyment of the public, to provide habitat for wildlife, or for the solar evaporation of seawater in the course of salt production for commercial purposes, if the land is within any of the following:
(1)A scenic highway corridor, as defined in subdivision (i).
(2)A wildlife habitat area, as defined in subdivision (j).
(3)A saltpond, as defined in subdivision (k).
(4)A managed wetland area, as defined in subdivision (l).
(5)A submerged area, as defined in subdivision (m).
(6)An area enrolled in the United States Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve Program or Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.
(p)Development means, as used in Section 51223, the construction of buildings or the use of the restricted property if the buildings or use are unrelated to the agricultural use, the open-space use, or uses compatible with either agricultural or open-space uses of the property, or substantially impair the agricultural, open-space, or a combination of the agricultural and open-space uses of the property. Agricultural use, open-space use, uses compatible with either agricultural or open-space uses, or the acquisition of land or an interest in land are not development.
(a)
SEC. 2. Section 25238 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:25238. (a) For purposes of this section, agrivoltaic system means a dual-use solar photovoltaic energy system and agricultural activities colocated in specified areas of land, whereby elevated solar photovoltaic panels are installed above active agricultural lands, at heights and configurations that ensure the simultaneous use of the land for agricultural activities beneath or between rows of solar photovoltaic panels.(b) (1) The commission shall award grants for agrivoltaic system projects pursuant to this section to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems.(2) An agrivoltaic system project awarded grant funding pursuant to this section shall be used to study the economic, social, energy, and agricultural productivity impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms and the states agricultural economy, to the extent funding is available, in different regions of the state with different climate conditions, and to study the impact of agrivoltaic systems on electricity generated from solar panels.(b)(c) Eligible grant recipients include, but are not limited to, the University of California, the California State University, and community colleges.(c)(d) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding pursuant to this section.(d)(e) (1) The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the grant program. For purposes of the evaluation, the commission shall do all of the following:(A) Monitor the quality of the agricultural output of farms with agrivoltaic systems.(B) Consider the location and diversity of agricultural production operations throughout the state.(C) Consider impacts on crop productivity, soil health, cultivation practices, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and microclimatic conditions across diverse farming systems and agrivoltaic system designs.(D) Consider impacts and implications for the economy, including on-farm economics and the agricultural economy, and public welfare.(E) Assess the states needs for both energy and food production, available land and existing land use competition, annual solar radiation, the percentage of ground covered by solar panels, and the available area per farm that is able to support an agrivoltaic system.(F) Assess the role agrivoltaic systems could play in meeting the states energy, climate, and food production goals.(G) Assess the feasibility, cost implications, and efficiency of agrivoltaic system technology, including potential energy yields from farmland with consideration for the states energy demands, increased land use efficiencies, potential reductions in the amount of water required for irrigation, and the potential impact on utility rates.(H) Assess the cost of capital investments and potential cost implications considering the full lifespan of agrivoltaic system technology.(I) Assess and make recommendations regarding solar design and crop layout and rotations for different climates within the state, to the extent funding is available.(2) The commission shall make the evaluation described in this subdivision publicly available on the commissions internet website.(e)(f) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall do all of the following for purposes of the grant program:(1) Maximize the benefits of the grant program for farmland.(2) Maximize energy production from agrivoltaic system projects and cost savings for farms.(3) Collaborate with farmers in the development and implementation of the grant program.(f)(g) Notwithstanding any other law, land that is zoned for agricultural use or otherwise designated as agricultural land shall not lose that designation because of an agrivoltaic system project funded pursuant to this section.(g)(h) The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section.
SEC. 2. Section 25238 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:
### SEC. 2.
25238. (a) For purposes of this section, agrivoltaic system means a dual-use solar photovoltaic energy system and agricultural activities colocated in specified areas of land, whereby elevated solar photovoltaic panels are installed above active agricultural lands, at heights and configurations that ensure the simultaneous use of the land for agricultural activities beneath or between rows of solar photovoltaic panels.(b) (1) The commission shall award grants for agrivoltaic system projects pursuant to this section to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems.(2) An agrivoltaic system project awarded grant funding pursuant to this section shall be used to study the economic, social, energy, and agricultural productivity impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms and the states agricultural economy, to the extent funding is available, in different regions of the state with different climate conditions, and to study the impact of agrivoltaic systems on electricity generated from solar panels.(b)(c) Eligible grant recipients include, but are not limited to, the University of California, the California State University, and community colleges.(c)(d) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding pursuant to this section.(d)(e) (1) The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the grant program. For purposes of the evaluation, the commission shall do all of the following:(A) Monitor the quality of the agricultural output of farms with agrivoltaic systems.(B) Consider the location and diversity of agricultural production operations throughout the state.(C) Consider impacts on crop productivity, soil health, cultivation practices, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and microclimatic conditions across diverse farming systems and agrivoltaic system designs.(D) Consider impacts and implications for the economy, including on-farm economics and the agricultural economy, and public welfare.(E) Assess the states needs for both energy and food production, available land and existing land use competition, annual solar radiation, the percentage of ground covered by solar panels, and the available area per farm that is able to support an agrivoltaic system.(F) Assess the role agrivoltaic systems could play in meeting the states energy, climate, and food production goals.(G) Assess the feasibility, cost implications, and efficiency of agrivoltaic system technology, including potential energy yields from farmland with consideration for the states energy demands, increased land use efficiencies, potential reductions in the amount of water required for irrigation, and the potential impact on utility rates.(H) Assess the cost of capital investments and potential cost implications considering the full lifespan of agrivoltaic system technology.(I) Assess and make recommendations regarding solar design and crop layout and rotations for different climates within the state, to the extent funding is available.(2) The commission shall make the evaluation described in this subdivision publicly available on the commissions internet website.(e)(f) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall do all of the following for purposes of the grant program:(1) Maximize the benefits of the grant program for farmland.(2) Maximize energy production from agrivoltaic system projects and cost savings for farms.(3) Collaborate with farmers in the development and implementation of the grant program.(f)(g) Notwithstanding any other law, land that is zoned for agricultural use or otherwise designated as agricultural land shall not lose that designation because of an agrivoltaic system project funded pursuant to this section.(g)(h) The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section.
25238. (a) For purposes of this section, agrivoltaic system means a dual-use solar photovoltaic energy system and agricultural activities colocated in specified areas of land, whereby elevated solar photovoltaic panels are installed above active agricultural lands, at heights and configurations that ensure the simultaneous use of the land for agricultural activities beneath or between rows of solar photovoltaic panels.(b) (1) The commission shall award grants for agrivoltaic system projects pursuant to this section to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems.(2) An agrivoltaic system project awarded grant funding pursuant to this section shall be used to study the economic, social, energy, and agricultural productivity impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms and the states agricultural economy, to the extent funding is available, in different regions of the state with different climate conditions, and to study the impact of agrivoltaic systems on electricity generated from solar panels.(b)(c) Eligible grant recipients include, but are not limited to, the University of California, the California State University, and community colleges.(c)(d) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding pursuant to this section.(d)(e) (1) The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the grant program. For purposes of the evaluation, the commission shall do all of the following:(A) Monitor the quality of the agricultural output of farms with agrivoltaic systems.(B) Consider the location and diversity of agricultural production operations throughout the state.(C) Consider impacts on crop productivity, soil health, cultivation practices, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and microclimatic conditions across diverse farming systems and agrivoltaic system designs.(D) Consider impacts and implications for the economy, including on-farm economics and the agricultural economy, and public welfare.(E) Assess the states needs for both energy and food production, available land and existing land use competition, annual solar radiation, the percentage of ground covered by solar panels, and the available area per farm that is able to support an agrivoltaic system.(F) Assess the role agrivoltaic systems could play in meeting the states energy, climate, and food production goals.(G) Assess the feasibility, cost implications, and efficiency of agrivoltaic system technology, including potential energy yields from farmland with consideration for the states energy demands, increased land use efficiencies, potential reductions in the amount of water required for irrigation, and the potential impact on utility rates.(H) Assess the cost of capital investments and potential cost implications considering the full lifespan of agrivoltaic system technology.(I) Assess and make recommendations regarding solar design and crop layout and rotations for different climates within the state, to the extent funding is available.(2) The commission shall make the evaluation described in this subdivision publicly available on the commissions internet website.(e)(f) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall do all of the following for purposes of the grant program:(1) Maximize the benefits of the grant program for farmland.(2) Maximize energy production from agrivoltaic system projects and cost savings for farms.(3) Collaborate with farmers in the development and implementation of the grant program.(f)(g) Notwithstanding any other law, land that is zoned for agricultural use or otherwise designated as agricultural land shall not lose that designation because of an agrivoltaic system project funded pursuant to this section.(g)(h) The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section.
25238. (a) For purposes of this section, agrivoltaic system means a dual-use solar photovoltaic energy system and agricultural activities colocated in specified areas of land, whereby elevated solar photovoltaic panels are installed above active agricultural lands, at heights and configurations that ensure the simultaneous use of the land for agricultural activities beneath or between rows of solar photovoltaic panels.(b) (1) The commission shall award grants for agrivoltaic system projects pursuant to this section to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems.(2) An agrivoltaic system project awarded grant funding pursuant to this section shall be used to study the economic, social, energy, and agricultural productivity impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms and the states agricultural economy, to the extent funding is available, in different regions of the state with different climate conditions, and to study the impact of agrivoltaic systems on electricity generated from solar panels.(b)(c) Eligible grant recipients include, but are not limited to, the University of California, the California State University, and community colleges.(c)(d) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding pursuant to this section.(d)(e) (1) The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the grant program. For purposes of the evaluation, the commission shall do all of the following:(A) Monitor the quality of the agricultural output of farms with agrivoltaic systems.(B) Consider the location and diversity of agricultural production operations throughout the state.(C) Consider impacts on crop productivity, soil health, cultivation practices, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and microclimatic conditions across diverse farming systems and agrivoltaic system designs.(D) Consider impacts and implications for the economy, including on-farm economics and the agricultural economy, and public welfare.(E) Assess the states needs for both energy and food production, available land and existing land use competition, annual solar radiation, the percentage of ground covered by solar panels, and the available area per farm that is able to support an agrivoltaic system.(F) Assess the role agrivoltaic systems could play in meeting the states energy, climate, and food production goals.(G) Assess the feasibility, cost implications, and efficiency of agrivoltaic system technology, including potential energy yields from farmland with consideration for the states energy demands, increased land use efficiencies, potential reductions in the amount of water required for irrigation, and the potential impact on utility rates.(H) Assess the cost of capital investments and potential cost implications considering the full lifespan of agrivoltaic system technology.(I) Assess and make recommendations regarding solar design and crop layout and rotations for different climates within the state, to the extent funding is available.(2) The commission shall make the evaluation described in this subdivision publicly available on the commissions internet website.(e)(f) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall do all of the following for purposes of the grant program:(1) Maximize the benefits of the grant program for farmland.(2) Maximize energy production from agrivoltaic system projects and cost savings for farms.(3) Collaborate with farmers in the development and implementation of the grant program.(f)(g) Notwithstanding any other law, land that is zoned for agricultural use or otherwise designated as agricultural land shall not lose that designation because of an agrivoltaic system project funded pursuant to this section.(g)(h) The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section.
25238. (a) For purposes of this section, agrivoltaic system means a dual-use solar photovoltaic energy system and agricultural activities colocated in specified areas of land, whereby elevated solar photovoltaic panels are installed above active agricultural lands, at heights and configurations that ensure the simultaneous use of the land for agricultural activities beneath or between rows of solar photovoltaic panels.
25238. (a) For purposes of this section, agrivoltaic system means a dual-use solar photovoltaic energy system and agricultural activities colocated in specified areas of land, whereby elevated solar photovoltaic panels are installed above active agricultural lands, at heights and configurations that ensure the simultaneous use of the land for agricultural activities beneath or between rows of solar photovoltaic panels.
(b) (1) The commission shall award grants for agrivoltaic system projects pursuant to this section to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems.
(2) An agrivoltaic system project awarded grant funding pursuant to this section shall be used to study the economic, social, energy, and agricultural productivity impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms and the states agricultural economy, to the extent funding is available, in different regions of the state with different climate conditions, and to study the impact of agrivoltaic systems on electricity generated from solar panels.
(b)
(c) Eligible grant recipients include, but are not limited to, the University of California, the California State University, and community colleges.
(c)
(d) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall develop guidelines defining agrivoltaic systems and criteria for determining a projects eligibility for grant funding pursuant to this section.
(d)
(e) (1) The commission shall conduct an evaluation of the grant program. For purposes of the evaluation, the commission shall do all of the following:
(A) Monitor the quality of the agricultural output of farms with agrivoltaic systems.
(B) Consider the location and diversity of agricultural production operations throughout the state.
(C) Consider impacts on crop productivity, soil health, cultivation practices, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and microclimatic conditions across diverse farming systems and agrivoltaic system designs.
(D) Consider impacts and implications for the economy, including on-farm economics and the agricultural economy, and public welfare.
(E) Assess the states needs for both energy and food production, available land and existing land use competition, annual solar radiation, the percentage of ground covered by solar panels, and the available area per farm that is able to support an agrivoltaic system.
(F) Assess the role agrivoltaic systems could play in meeting the states energy, climate, and food production goals.
(G) Assess the feasibility, cost implications, and efficiency of agrivoltaic system technology, including potential energy yields from farmland with consideration for the states energy demands, increased land use efficiencies, potential reductions in the amount of water required for irrigation, and the potential impact on utility rates.
(H) Assess the cost of capital investments and potential cost implications considering the full lifespan of agrivoltaic system technology.
(I) Assess and make recommendations regarding solar design and crop layout and rotations for different climates within the state, to the extent funding is available.
(2) The commission shall make the evaluation described in this subdivision publicly available on the commissions internet website.
(e)
(f) The commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, shall do all of the following for purposes of the grant program:
(1) Maximize the benefits of the grant program for farmland.
(2) Maximize energy production from agrivoltaic system projects and cost savings for farms.
(3) Collaborate with farmers in the development and implementation of the grant program.
(f)
(g) Notwithstanding any other law, land that is zoned for agricultural use or otherwise designated as agricultural land shall not lose that designation because of an agrivoltaic system project funded pursuant to this section.
(g)
(h) The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute for purposes of this section.