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Part of the Local Government Education programming series, the Resilient Communities webinar series is a collaboration between University of Illinois Extension and Prairie Rivers Network that seeks to empower communities by highlighting local success stories, sharing science-based educational content, and providing practical tools to implement community projects that build resilience.

Solar and farmland: Navigating local land use, conservation, and farm economics 
Tuesday, October 27, at 12 noon CT
As solar development grows across Illinois, agrivoltaics, the integration of solar energy production alongside agricultural production, is being explored as a way to balance renewable energy production, diversify income streams, and conserve farmland. These new projects are prompting community leaders to consider the potential benefits and tradeoffs of agrivoltaics.

Join this webinar for a deep dive on the trends and research exploring the connections between solar development and farmland conservation, including:

• Andrea Wagner, Sustainable Energy Specialist: How solar is affecting local land use, including solar land leases, the rate of farmland conversion to solar development, and an overview of the Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement (AIMA) process required in Illinois that ensures land developed for solar is restored to pre-construction conditions.

• Claire Shipp, Midwest Policy Manager: American Farmland Trust’s Smart Solar℠ initiative, which brings solar developers, landowners, farmers, community organizations, and policymakers together to advance policies and programs that support renewable energy adoption while strengthening farm viability and protecting natural resources.

• Dr. Paul Mwebaze, Visiting Scholar: An analysis of the cost and benefits of row crops and solar from the University of Illinois’ iSEE Sustainability Colocating Agricultural and Photovoltaic Electricity Systems (SCAPES) project.

This webinar is the second in a three-part series addressing top questions and concerns from local governments navigating solar development. Join us November 10 to learn more about wildlife interactions with solar.

If you will need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please email mdelany2@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.

For more information on the Resilient Communities Webinar Series, contact: Linda Derhak, National Resources, Energy, and Environment, Illinois Extension, at lderhak2@illinois.edu