Solar panels could help make farms more resilient to climate change, but they need cash to make it work.

This article from Aspen Public Radio features the story of how Mark Waltermire, a local North Fork Farmer, would like to use solar panels to help shade his crops from the heat, as temperatures have been increasing in recent years due to climate change.

Agrovoltaics are an increasingly popular concept among farmers, as they offer a solution to the impacts of climate change we are currently experiencing while also helping to prevent further fossil fuel emissions and subsequent temperature increases. 

Pete Kolbenschlag looks over at some of the rows of crops on Thistle Whistle Farm in Hotchkiss, CO.

Pete has been working with Watermire on funding and helped Waltermire secure $200,000 from the Department of Energy.

The problem is the cost of the project; for Mark at Thistle Whistle, the agrovoltaic project would cost $2.5 million. Funding available through Biden's REAP program for projects like this has been drastically reduced. Farmers are looking to their representatives for what is next. The federal budget passed in July will determine if projects like this will be funded.   

Read the Article Here.