Senate Bill S7861

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Directs the department of agriculture and markets, in cooperation with NYSERDA, to develop and produce guidance and educational materials for farmers on the use of agrivoltaics in farming

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Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - Passed Senate & Assembly

  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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co-Sponsors

2021-S7861 - Details

Law Section:
Agriculture and Markets

2021-S7861 - Summary

Directs the department of agriculture and markets, in cooperation with NYSERDA and institutions of higher education, to develop and produce guidance and educational materials for farmers on the use of agrivoltaics in farming; requires the department of agriculture and markets to provide a booth at the state fair for the purpose of educating the general public on the use of agrivoltaics in farming.

2021-S7861 - Sponsor Memo

2021-S7861 - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7861
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 12, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAY  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture
 
 AN ACT to direct the department of agriculture and markets,  in  cooper-
   ation with the New York state energy research and development authori-
   ty,  to  develop and produce guidance and educational materials on the
   use of agrivoltaics in farming

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Definitions. For the purposes of this act, the term "agri-
 voltaics" shall mean an arrangement of land use  that  collocates  solar
 photovoltaic  panels  and  agriculture  and/or  animal  grazing, for the
 purpose of producing electricity and producing crops and/or animal farm-
 ing simultaneously from a single land unit.
   § 2. Guidance and educational materials  on  agrivoltaics.    (a)  The
 department  of agriculture and markets, in cooperation with the New York
 state energy research and development authority, shall develop  guidance
 and  educational materials for farmers regarding the use of agrivoltaics
 in farming that shall, at a minimum, contain the following:
   (i) benefits impacting crop production, reduced electricity costs, and
 diversified revenue streams;
   (ii) information on the use of high value shade-resistant crops;
   (iii)  potential  marketing  opportunities  to  sustainability-mindful
 consumers;
   (iv) potentials for water use reduction;
   (v) potentials for extended crop growing seasons; and
   (vi) pollinator-friendly standards and practices.
   (b)  No later than one hundred twenty days after the effective date of
 this act, the guidance and educational materials developed  pursuant  to
 paragraph (a) of this section shall be produced and distributed to coop-
 erative  extension  offices  located  in the state and to New York state
 soil and  water  conservation  districts,  and  made  available  on  the
 websites  of  the department of agriculture and markets and the New York
 state energy research and development authority.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14275-02-2

co-Sponsors

2021-S7861A (ACTIVE) - Details

Law Section:
Agriculture and Markets

2021-S7861A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the department of agriculture and markets, in cooperation with NYSERDA and institutions of higher education, to develop and produce guidance and educational materials for farmers on the use of agrivoltaics in farming; requires the department of agriculture and markets to provide a booth at the state fair for the purpose of educating the general public on the use of agrivoltaics in farming.

2021-S7861A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S7861A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7861--A
     Cal. No. 430
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 12, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  MAY, RAMOS -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when printed to be  committed  to  the  Committee  on  Agriculture  --
   reported  favorably  from  said committee, ordered to first and second
   report, ordered to a third reading, passed by Senate and delivered  to
   the  Assembly, recalled, vote reconsidered, restored to third reading,
   amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place  in  the  order  of
   third reading
 
 AN  ACT  to direct the department of agriculture and markets, in cooper-
   ation with the New York state energy research and development authori-
   ty, to develop and produce guidance and educational materials  on  the
   use of agrivoltaics in farming
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this act, the term  "agri-
 voltaics"  shall  mean  the  simultaneous  use of areas of land for both
 solar photovoltaic power generation and agriculture including the collo-
 cation of solar photovoltaic  panels  and  production  of  crops  and/or
 animal farming such as grazing on the same property.
   §  2.  Guidance  and  educational materials on agrivoltaics.   (a) The
 department of agriculture and markets, in cooperation with the New  York
 state  energy  research  and  development  authority and institutions of
 higher education with expertise in agrivoltaics, shall develop  guidance
 and  educational materials for farmers regarding the use of agrivoltaics
 in farming that shall, at a minimum, contain the following:
   (i) information about available resources to assist farmers  to  maxi-
 mize  agricultural  production  including,  but  not limited to, growing
 crops or grazing animals on land with collocated solar panels;
   (ii) information on the use of high value shade-resistant crops;
   (iii) information about potential marketing opportunities to consumers
 interested in purchasing food and other agricultural products from farms
 that produce renewable energy and may be  positively  impacting  climate
 change;
   (iv)  the  potential  for  benefits such as reduced electricity costs,
 diversified revenue streams, and water use reduction;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

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