Solar Panels and Regenerative Farming: Powerful pairing for sustainability
Solar Energy is technologically advanced to the point that in today’s time, solar panels can be installed on a farm and solar farms can be made. Regenerative Farming regenerates the soil and keeps the soil productive for as long as possible to avoid cutting down forests and reduces cost as well. Many initiatives are being taken to club the two methods together, i.e., combining solar panels in farms with regenerative farming, which results in a powerful pairing for sustainability.
Solar Energy is the type of energy that is generated from the sun and it reduces the emissions caused by fossil fuels. It cuts down the emissions that are released while obtaining, processing, and using power from fossil fuels. There are numerous advantages of solar energy; it reduces water wastage, mitigates air pollution, reduces carbon footprint, and tackles climate change as well. Most importantly, it cuts down the electricity bills. One can reduce the emissions at home, business or institution by installing solar panels on the rooftops that maximize efficiency.
Regenerative Farming includes methods that can reverse climate change by restoring the degraded soil and rebuilding the soil’s organic matter. It improves the soil’s health and helps in increasing the water holding capacity and seizes carbon as well. This is the major advantage of this farming method, i.e., it seizes carbon in comparison to conventional farming, in which tilled soil releases carbon into the air. Regenerative farming minimizes tilling and tries to eliminate it. It covers the soil surface and maintains the living plant roots in the soil for as long as possible. Thus, it improves the health of the soil, produces more nutritious food, and manages the water overflow as well.
Combining solar panels with regenerative farming is a unique approach because the land is being put to dual use. Sometimes, if only solar panels are being installed then chemical pesticides are used thus hampering the soil productivity and even vegetation is removed to prevent the panels from being overgrown. If solar panels are combined with regenerative farming, then the soil becomes enriched and low-level vegetation around the solar panels becomes possible as well which allows the plants to take advantage of the greenhouse effect. Also, as mentioned regenerative farming captures carbon, which is a way to mitigate climate change. This becomes powerful when combined with solar energy as solar energy limits climate change as well.
Thus, separately both methods are beneficial for the environment. Generating power from solar panels reduces emissions, and regenerative farming captures the carbon from the soil. Both of them help in reducing the harmful effects and attempt in limiting climate change and when they are combined, solar energy supercharges regenerative farming and carbon captures.
