History Postdoctoral Research Associate awarded SSHRC grant

Dr. Anna Bettini, a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of History, has been awarded a SSHRC Insight Development Grant for her project titled “Farming the Sun: A Comparative Study of Agrivoltaics in Tuscany and Alberta’s Rural Landscape.” This ethnographic study looks at the intersection between renewable energy and agriculture, focusing on how rural communities are responding to agrivoltaics, a technology integrating solar panels with farming activities, allowing crops to grown underneath while generating energy. 

Bettini’s project brings into conversations rural communities at different stages of adoption of this technology. In Tuscany, agrivoltaics has been recognized as a promising solution, allowing solar panels to co-exist with farming. Yet even there, tensions are still present over how land is used, who benefits, and what this means for the future of rural communities. In contrast, Alberta has faced a six month-moratorium on renewable energy projects, followed by restrictions shaped by farmers’ concerns about losing valuable agricultural land, that has discouraged green energy development in the province. Here, the opposition has also reflected the province’s long history of land-use struggles tied to oil and gas, and farming. 

Through a combination of qualitative methods, including interviews, fieldwork, participant observation, and visual ethnography, the study will explore how farmers, local governments, and energy companies make sense of the energy transition within rural communities. Life stories and personal narratives will shed light on how people interpret the changes occurring in their landscapes. By focusing on the lived experiences of those most directly affected, the project considers what a more equitable and sustainable energy future might look like for rural communities. 

This work builds on Bettini’s previous research on energy landscapes in Canada and New Zealand, and asks how rural communities respond to pressures and possibilities of renewable energy developments. Project leader Bettini is joined by collaborators Dr. Francesco Zanotelli at the University of Florence (co-applicant) and Dr. Kate Lawless at the University of Calgary (collaborator). 

Why it matters

Energy transitions do not only bring economic or technical changes, but they also create social transformations that can reshape landscapes, livelihoods, and relationships communities have with the land. As the demand for renewable energy grows, rural communities find themselves at a crossroads: how can they embrace this green energy revolution without sacrificing the land, culture and livelihoods that have defined them for generations? Agrivoltaics carry the promise of combining food production with energy, presenting a possible solution. However, they also stir up debate over land use and the future of rural communities. This research highlights why these conversations matter today, as societies search for ways to reduce emissions without losing sight of local histories and ways of life. By comparing cases in Tuscany and Alberta, this research connects local experiences to broader conversations about climate change, energy transition, decarbonization and the everyday realities of rural life.