California Forever fund UC Davis Agriculture research

California Forever, the company looking to create a new community in eastern Solano County, has announced its plans to fund agricultural research from the University of California, Davis, donating $50,000 this week.

The research will study the development of agrivoltaics — solar panels that are deployed on land also being used for agriculture.

“UC Davis is a global leader in the study of sustainability, and California Forever plans for this to be the first of many collaborations,” the company's release read. “The company will look to UC Davis' broad expertise to inform the stewardship and development of California Forever's lands in Solano County.”

According to the release, agrivoltaics could help California reach its goal of using 100% renewable before 2045 by creating more space for solar farms without decreasing agricultural output. The research will help maximize land use efficiency by allowing the land to be used for both purposes.

“As part of our East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy initiative, we are proposing to build one of the largest solar farms in California. It will have upwards of 2 gigawatts of capacity for export on to the grid — enough to power up to 1.5 million homes across Northern California,” said Bronson Johnson, Head of Infrastructure and Sustainability at California Forever. “We're seeking solar developers to install a significant number of clean, green energy sources on our lands to help materially advance California's renewable energy goals. We are excited about the opportunity to use agrivoltaics to combine solar energy production with agriculture and habitat restoration on the same parcels of land in a way that is both economically and environmentally sustainable, while preserving the character of the area.”

Having purchased more than 60,000 acres of Solano County, the company said it is committed to stewardship of the land, clean power, good-paying local jobs and middle class housing.

“We manage these properties across four divisions: community building, energy, agriculture, and habitat conservation,” the release reads. “We are committed to Solano County, and we look forward to being a good steward of our lands for generations to come.”