Positioning solar panels above active cropland boosts how much food farms produce in dry climates while creating payment streams for landowners, reported the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
Rural communities face a dilemma. Electric use has spiked after holding flat for decades, driven by electrification, data processing centers, and developments in artificial intelligence. Renewable energy beats fossil fuels on price, yet the best spots for solar arrays already grow food.
Using one plot for both purposes, a practice called agrivoltaics, lets farms keep producing crops and livestock while generating electricity. Landowners collect payments from developers, farming continues on the same ground, and solar companies encounter less local resistance.
Agrivoltaics involves solar panels that are mounted high enough off the ground for crops to thrive underneath or for animals to move freely between supports. In arid areas, shade from the panels helps plants hold onto water, reducing irrigation needs and increasing yields.
In 2020, this farming approach covered 27,000 acres with 4.5 gigawatts of capacity. By 2024, installations had expanded to over 62,000 acres and 10 gigawatts, generating electricity for 1.5 million households.
"Agrivoltaics demonstrates that agricultural production and solar development can be complementary rather than competing options for land use," said Asher Salkin, former research intern at the IEEFA and author of the report.
"Our research shows that using agrivoltaics in agricultural settings increases crop yields in water-stressed regions, which not only lowers operating costs but also improves soil and ecosystem health."
Agriculture uses enormous water volumes. Cutting that usage through panel shading preserves supplies for communities and wildlife. Switching to renewables means burning less coal and gas, which releases pollution tied to breathing problems and other illnesses. Cleaner air protects everyone's health.
Family farmers dealing with unpredictable crop prices and weather extremes get consistent payments from solar contracts. This extra money helps keep farms in business.
Government support could accelerate the adoption of this farming model. The technology works today, with new projects launching annually.
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If you farm or know farmers interested in exploring this, search for solar developers who work with agricultural properties. Call your representatives to support rules that make these projects simpler to approve and finance.
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