Kalistani Major History

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First Solar Farms being built in Agricultural Areas
Farmers take advantage of shade to experiment with plant diversity
Springfield, Duchy of Odufaray
August 31, 5502


Local Farm Cooperatives begin collecting solar rays along with other produce on Farm lands

The new KPO hybrid solar programs are beginning to yield very early dividends as the first solar collectors are nearing their first year of operation. And the first early adopters are celebrating from additional profits coming in from the lease of their lands to KPO for solar and wind collection. "We've had a very good year so far," said local farmer Megan Johnson, of Springfield. "Not only is the co-op reaping a nice bit of change by having these photovoltaics here on our land, but we also get about a cent and a half per kilowatt that our collectors sell back to the grid, free electricity ourselves, and also we have the opportunity to experiment with new crops to take into the Farmers Market and sell. The crop diversity alone that having different shade conditions in the field allows is more than worth it for me!"

Johnson and her family are just one of thousands of individual and cooperative farmers that are leading a nationwide movement to include solar and wind generators on their land as part of their overall business model. Since support for photovoltaic and wind turbine sites came into law in June, even more farmers have been converting lands they had left fallow this year into solar parks and wind parks. "We have back orders on photovoltaics," said KPO spokesman Kenny Lawless, who is one of the members of the procurement team in Vrassa. "Farmers see it as easy money: The solar farms can be designed in such a way where cash crops are planted in strips between solar collectors, and then land underneath the collection sites can be used to grow higher value crops that small scale consumers want, like heirlooms and specialized grains. We are also finding that the shade provided is preferred by cannibis and Opium plants as well, in some landscapes, and yields this year are trending higher."

All this means that starting this summer, Kalistani tables are already experiencing shifts in food. "Organic is a big thing," said Johnson. "We try to grow the crops we bring to the Market without using pesticides and using only natural fertilizers. And you can really taste the difference. We have a ton of produce that we bring in every week, and while its a bit more work, we will even be able to afford to hire two additional workers next spring." While the boom may not last forever and farm prices are certain to go down as the season wears on, Johnson says that the solar collectors will continue to produce revenue for the farm through the winter. "Come March, it usually gets pretty lean and we start getting into the canned stuff," said Johnson. "But this year, I can sell those canned goods in March because we will have plenty of money to take us well into the next season."

The energy market seems like it was made for the millions of acres of farm land around Kalistan. "Kalistan is a very modern country," said Lawless. "But we still have so much land which is used for farming and agriculture, and mixing energy creation in with agriculture seems like a no brainer to many of the farmers I am speaking to." Lawless said the winter months will allow KPO to catch up a bit with requests for new Photocells, but what will really allow a major revolution in Kalistan's energy creation sector is increased industrial activity. "We were looking at this fusion situation as a crisis for a while, but here is the opportunity Kalistan needs to become a leader in green energy creation. There is demand. The demand is huge. We are hoping to see way more investment in this field, because it is nothing but a growth industry at this point."

Farmers like Johnson will continue to reap benefits as they begin sharing their carefully manicured and GPS planned furrow rows with Solar and wind collectors. "I'm for it. It's all upside," said Johnson. "For the first time in my life, I am really excited about being a farmer, because I can finally now envision like growing something for the love of growing: These solar collectors give me and my family economic freedom and security that I have never had, while we lived right on the margins."