Drought, climate change, and new regulatory forces, like the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (“SGMA”), are bringing change to California’s land uses. Climate policies are spurring renewable energy development, while drought and new water restrictions may force the fallowing of agricultural land. These external factors bring significant challenges and stress to many industries and livelihoods, but there are strategic opportunities for renewable energy developers and agricultural interests to explore in responding to the state’s drought and climate change problems. This article explores a few of these water-related partnership opportunities wherein agricultural interests can mitigate increased water costs and decreased water supply and renewable energy developers can add value to their project development.
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