The race is on to develop more environmentally conscious land uses in a world impacted by prolonged drought and climate change, and University of Arizona researchers studying agrivoltaics just received a boost in the form of $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Agrivoltaics refers to the simultaneous use of land for both growing crops and collecting solar energy. When plants are grown in the shade provided by solar panels, agriculture can flourish in previously underdeveloped spaces. At the same time, solar installations benefit from the cooling effect of plant life.