US govt to invest USD 20m to improve renewables siting, agrivoltaics

Sheep grazing at a solar farm. Image by BayWa r.e (www.baywa-re.com)

The US Department of Energy (DOE) on Tuesday announced an investment of nearly USD 20 million (EUR 18.1m) to improve the planning, siting and permission of renewable energy projects and to advance cattle agrivoltaics.

The DOE has selected six projects totaling USD 11.6 million funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the second round of a programme that aims to improve planning, siting, and permitting processes related to large-scale renewable energy plants.

More specifically, the Renewable Energy Siting through Technical Engagement and Planning (R-STEP) programme is financing state-based and Tribal collaboratives to evaluate stakeholder needs and create state-specific educational materials and technical assistance programmes to improve permitting processes for communities and industry, the department said in a statement.

In the first round of R-STEP, the government supported six other projects with USD 10 million, located in seven states, namely Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

The following table includes information about the selected Round 2 projects.

State	Led by	Award amount
Colorado	Colorado Energy Office	USD 1.96m
Georgia	University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government	USD 1.95m
Idaho	Boise State University	USD 1.95m
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State University	USD 1.8m
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection	USD 1.96m
Washington	The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians	USD 1.96m

As per agrivoltaics, the DOE has launched an USD-8.2-million prize to advance the co-location of solar power production and cattle grazing, which, it says, “could help preserve agricultural land and traditions; benefit cattle health; generate additional income for ranchers, farmers, and landowners; and ease barriers to solar energy deployment, all while helping decarbonize the energy grid.”

The goal of the so-called Large Animal and Solar System Operations (LASSO) Prize is to see multiple stakeholder groups collaborate on the development and deployment of solar cattle grazing by building pilot sites and sharing information on best practices, costs, and energy and agricultural outcomes.

Interested parties can apply for Phase 1 of the prize until March 6, 2025.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.905)

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