As the world’s data center capital, Virginia faces a surge in energy demand that could spike power costs and lead to more polluting fossil fuel plants. At the same time, the state is seeing its farmland disappear at one of the fastest rates in the United States.

The two problems may seem unrelated, but Old Dominion leaders believe they could be mitigated by a common solution: Use the same plot of land for both farming and solar panels. That’s the idea behind a new state law that officially defines ​“agrivoltaics,” the dual use of land for agriculture and solar photovoltaics.

Proponents say the measure will spur more affordable, clean power to meet rising electricity needs while also helping farmers earn a living. Virginia is just the fourth state in the country to pass an agrivoltaics law.

“For years, the conventional wisdom has forced us into a zero-sum game, viewing solar panels as a replacement for crops rather than a partner to them,” said Josephus Allmond, the chief energy officer for Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, at a June bill-signing event in Loudoun County. ​“Today, we are rejecting that false choice. Agrivoltaics moves us from an either-or mindset to a both-and function.”

“Bring this abandoned farmland back”

The new law, which passed the Democratic-led General Assembly early this year with bipartisan support, is taking effect as power-hungry data centers and large-scale solar fields have become flashpoints in Virginia and across the country.

Hundreds of data centers have already set up shop in the state, lured in part by generous tax credits. The giant computer warehouses have polluted the air and threatened to overwhelm the grid. Dominion Energy, the state’s largest utility, estimates that the facilities could make up over half its sales by 2035. Legislators this year debated but failed to adopt incentives or mandates for tech companies to build their own clean energy.

Experts say solar is the cheapest, quickest way to meet the colossal needs of large electric customers like data centers. Plus, a 2020 law requires the state’s two largest utilities to build more than 16 gigawatts of land-based renewable energy, mostly solar, on their way to zero-carbon emissions by midcentury.

But early solar developers who failed to control their sediment pollution, combined with rampant disinformation, have helped tarnish the reputation of large projects. Though studies show that housing developments are bigger culprits, solar has emerged as a popular scapegoat for Virginia’s rapid loss of farmland. As of early this year, nearly two-thirds of Virginia counties outlawed or severely restricted large-scale solar.

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