Governing the Tension Between Solar Farms and Agricultural Land Use

Prof. Itay Fischendler and Prof. Ayal Kimhi

The use of both distributed and utility-scale solar energy (USSE) has increased substantially over the past decade, with many countries specifically integrating photovoltaics (PV) into their national energy generation portfolios. However, USSE projects sometimes create land-use competition with other landscape practices. This is particularly true for the agricultural sector, especially since croplands also provide optimal conditions for solar PV generation.

Though recent studies have increasingly recognized the tradeoffs between agriculture and USSE, there remains a clear void regarding the extent of the tradeoffs and the governance tools to mitigate this tradeoff. This mitigation and prioritization process is important for both reducing conflicts between users, as well as ensuring a balanced and just energy transition.

Against this background, the aim of this project is to: 1) identify the tradeoffs between USSE and agriculture and the tensions and conflicts they give rise to; 2) identify the socio-economic and physical conditions that shape these tensions; 3) study the available and suggested institutional mechanisms to address the tradeoffs; and 4) understand the extent by which these different institutional measures are successful in mitigating these tensions. The area of geographic focus is Israel, a place that has been pointedly grappling with the solar and agricultural land-use nexus.