Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2021
Department
Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Department of Social Sciences
Abstract
Agrivoltaic systems, which deliberately maximize the utility of a single parcel of land for both solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity production and agriculture, have been demonstrated as a viable technology that can ameliorate competing land uses and meet growing energy and food demands efficiently. The goal of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of a novel pasture-based agrivoltaic concept: co-farming rabbits and solar PV. A life cycle assessment (LCA) quantified the impacts of 1) the integrated agrivoltaic concept in comparison to conventional practices including 2) separate rabbit farming and PV production and 3) separate rabbit farming and conventional electricity production. The impact assessment methods employed to determine the environmental impacts were IPCC 2013 global warming potential 100a V1.03 and fossil energy demand V1.11. The results indicate that the pasture-based agrivoltaic system produces the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions (3.8 million kg CO₂ equivalent) and demands the least amount of fossil energy (46 million MJ) per functional unit of cumulative MWh output of electricity and cumulative kg of meat over 30 years in comparison to the two other scenarios under study. The pasture-based agrivoltaic system features a dual synergy that consequently produces 69.3 % less emissions and demands 82.9 % less fossil energy compared to non-integrated production. The potential for agrivoltaic systems to significantly reduce environmental impacts revealed by this LCA demonstrates that integrated solar and pasture-based agricultural systems are superior to conventional practices in terms of their comparatively lower emission and energy intensity. These findings provide empirical support for increased agrivoltaic system development more broadly.
Publication Title
Cleaner and Responsible Consumption
Recommended Citation
Pascaris, A.,
Handler, R.,
Schelly, C.,
&
Pearce, J.
(2021).
Life cycle assessment of pasture-based agrivoltaic systems: Emissions and energy use of integrated rabbit production.
Cleaner and Responsible Consumption,
3.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.clrc.2021.100030
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/16750
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Version
Publisher's PDF
Publisher's Statement
© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clrc.2021.100030