Farmland consolidations could boost solar
Medical alert dog will improve Tehachapi woman’s life
Hopes are rising in the southern Central Valley that the façrmland expected to be fallowed in coming years because of drought and groundwater restrictions won’t sit idle but will instead be consolidated to make room for new land uses including solar power generation.
Efforts are underway locally to create a system for piecing together parcels that would allow investment at a scale large enough to support substantial photovoltaic solar arrays — or ranching or creation of natural habitat, whatever makes sense financially for landowners.
A key consideration in the discussions is making sure farmers don’t lose their right to the groundwater beneath their fallowed land. A model now under development envisions a system of water credits and the involvement of a shared-benefit solar power organization.
The new modeling has come at a time of heightened optimism about the potential for large-scale solar farms in the Central Valley. Gov. Gavin Newsom has accelerated California’s push for greater renewable energy production just as President-elect Joe Biden talks about creating federal policies that would encourage such investment.
NOT TOO CLOSE
But if ag and solar do indeed grow closer together, it might not be as close as some researchers have dreamed about.
A concept known as agrivoltaics envisions crops or livestock thriving in and among solar farms. It already happens elsewhere on a small scale and recently the U.S. Department of Energy set aside $7 million to support agrivoltaic pilot projects.
But the idea hasn’t caught on in the Central Valley, for a few reasons. It’s hard to maintain and harvest crops growing right next to solar panels, especially when using large, automated equipment. Kicking up dust doesn’t help solar panels work at their best, either.
Plus, grazing cattle and goats tend to damage solar panels. And solar panels were never going to work among some of the area’s most popular permanent crops: almonds, pistachios and citrus.
Observers say some agrivoltaics may be feasible locally in the case of cultivating bee forage but that it’s unlikely to function on a scale as large as local farming operates.
“That idea never took off here,” said Kern County’s top planner, Lorelei Oviatt. “I think it’s more of a smallscale, urban farming kind of idea.”
She and others see greater potential in separating solar and ag while making them work together on another level.
SGMA IMPACT
A guiding principle has been to avoid a patchwork of productive and fallowed farmland to result from the state’s imposition of pumping restrictions under the State Groundwater Management Act, better known as SGMA.
Certainly in the years ahead some land will have to come out of production because of SGMA — probably hundreds of thousands of acres. But rather than leave it to each farmer’s whim on what goes fallow, the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District is working on a way to coordinate financial interests to maximize shared opportunities.
Rosedale-Rio Bravo General Manager Eric Averett said the idea would be to create a community-level operation that would buy fallowed farmland and then give away to the community all the groundwater its aggregated property is entitled to use. That way all the water saved by converting the land use to solar benefits local farmers.
Averett said nothing has come together yet but progress is being made that could lead to solar or other new land uses within a year or two. He added the model already operates in other regions.
“I think the opportunities lie at the regional level and we need to scale those conversations up,” he said.
OPEN OPTIONS
John Moore II, president of the Kern County Farm Bureau, was unconvinced agrivoltaics holds much potential locally, but he expressed interest in solar power as a reuse of fallowed farmland.
“Farmers and ranchers need options for their lands in the world of SGMA,” he said by email.
Oviatt, the county planner, said she’s aware of very large solar power projects looking for potential development sites in Kern and Kings counties. She expressed particular interest in the kind of water transfers Rosedale-Rio Bravo is looking at.
“Maybe this is the moment” for solar development in the valley, she said, adding local farmers “deserve a pathway to commercial-scale power.”
Alexandra “Alex” Padilla, 20, received an early Christmas present, a medical alert service dog named Enzo. Padilla, who was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) dysautonomia five years ago, welcomed the specially trained canine after he graduated on Nov. 16.
POTS dysautonomia is a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, meaning everything that your body does automatically is affected, including heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, circulation, digestion, breathing and more.
“She does not have a normal heartbeat,” said her mother, Rose Padilla. “It beats at least three times more than a person who does not have POTS.”
Alex led an active life up until age 14, and enjoyed playing soccer. Suddenly, without warning, symptoms of the disabling disease appeared, and turned her world upside down.
When Alex was a freshman in high school, she fainted, and began experiencing chest pains, light-headedness and dizziness.
“We kept going into the emergency room, and they would do EKGs, blood work and found nothing until her primary doctor sent her to a cardiologist who then diagnosed her,” said her mother.
On a bad day, Alex said, she has a hard time getting out of bed and walking because she is lightheaded, and she experiences nausea.
There is no cure for POTS. For the past four years, Rose has driven her daughter to Bakersfield two times a week to undergo intravenous hydration treatments. Together, they sit patiently for the four-hour procedure.
Last year, Alex’s cardiologist suggested she get a medical alert service dog specially trained to alert her to drops in blood
pressure.
“I researched and didn’t know how we would be able to pay for it. With the help of Debra Carnes and donations from clients at Peaceful Image Salon, we started having yard sales,” said Rose.
Soon, other people in the community started donating items for the yard sales in addition to many monetary donations received from the Stephens family, Kabonic family, Polletta family and Glover family to name a few.
“I would talk to every person who wanted to hear Alex’s story and why she needed a service dog, and no matter what their religious preferences were, they all prayed for Alex. That was always an amazing feeling. We also had a lot if support from family and they held food fundraisers for Alex,” said Rose.
Within five months, the family raised $25,070 to purchase Enzo from Doggy Does Good, housed out of Oro Grande.
During her five-day training with Enzo, Alex said he alerted of oncoming episodes from day one.
“The trainers were really surprised that he was already in tune with me,” Alex said.
When Alex’s blood pressure starts to drop, Enzo paws at her and nudges her.
“Instead of getting up, he will stay down with me until I start feeling better. He will not let me move until my symptoms are gone,” Alex said.
Now, instead of living in fear of each episode, Enzo gives Alex a three- to four-minute warning so she can get to a safe place or lie down.
“I feel a lot safer going out in public and more comfortable,” Alex said.
Having Enzo is a true blessing, said Rose.
“Not only does he alert to her medical condition, retrieves items she drops and helps with her mobility and stability, he has also made a difference in her emotionally. He will give her back her independence. Doggie Does Good and their trainers are amazing and the work that they do is life-changing for many families,” said Rose.
Alex was able to graduate from high school in 2018; however, she had to complete her senior year working from home.
“It’s been hard to start college because one of my symptoms is brain fog and it is really hard for me to remember things,” she said.
Alex’s family also expressed their gratitude for the community’s help.
“Thank you to all the family, friends and the community of Tehachapi for all your support. We could not have done it without you,” said her father, Juan Padilla.
“In this time of giving thanks, I am grateful for the community that has helped my sister fundraise. Enzo has already been a great help and will forever make a difference in Alex’s life,” said her sister, Jacky Padilla.