Agrivoltaic systems: grant funding.

Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the state's clean energy and pollution reduction objectives. This bill, contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes, would require the commission to award grants for agrivoltaic system projects to support research and development in agrivoltaic systems, study the impacts of agrivoltaic systems on farms, on the state's agricultural economy, and on electricity generated from solar panels, and study the potential of agrivoltaic systems to reduce the impact of extreme heat on crops, livestock, and agricultural workers. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop guidelines and criteria for determining a project's eligibility for grant funding and to take certain actions for purposes of the grant program. The bill would require the commission to conduct an evaluation of the grant program, as specified, and make the evaluation publicly available on its internet website.