Virginia faces growing energy tensions from all sides, as demand skyrockets, the Virginia Clean Economy Act’s mandate to switch to carbon-free energy looms, and questions on how to bolster solar while preserving agricultural land linger. A new project by the Piedmont Environmental Council is trying to show how solar panels and crops can coexist through agrivoltaics.

In Loudoun County, PEC has added 42 solar panels alongside and above crops to test how energy and food production can work together. Several county zoning meetings in Virginia have revolved around the concern of losing agricultural land in order to build solar facilities in recent years. The project’s design mimics traditional farm practices, while making some alterations that make it easier to interact with the energy source

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