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Last Update: 08/01/2026 at 3:01 PM EST
Agrivoltaics Balances Solar and Farming
Coverage from The Guardian, Wisconsin Public Radio, and others
Articles
31
Active Days
185
The Topic
Agrivoltaics is expanding through research sites, farm demonstrations, grazing arrangements, and early commercial projects that place solar panels alongside crops or livestock. The approach can provide shade, reduce water stress, diversify farm income, and ease some conflicts over solar land use, but results depend heavily on crop selection, panel spacing, machinery access, soil and water management, and local rules. Evidence remains strongest for grazing, specialty crops, and hot or dry conditions, while large-scale row-crop applications are still being tested.
First Article: 01/01/00
Latest Article: 07/27/26
Summary
- Solar panels are being paired with crops, livestock grazing, pollinator habitat, and other agricultural uses rather than treating farmland as single-purpose solar sites.
- Partial shade can reduce heat and water stress in some environments, but poorly designed systems may lower yields, restrict machinery, or damage soil and drainage.
- Sheep grazing is among the most established applications, helping control vegetation while providing additional pasture and service income.
- Research projects in Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, and elsewhere are testing panel height, spacing, crop selection, water use, microclimates, and soil effects.
- A nearly 200-megawatt project in Batangas, Philippines, indicates that agrivoltaics is beginning to move beyond pilots into commercial-scale operation.
- Long-term economics and agricultural performance remain uncertain, particularly for mechanized row crops and systems with higher construction or maintenance costs.
History
The story has broadened from general agrivoltaics experimentation into a more specific, current picture of early commercial deployment and active U.S. research sites. The main emphasis also shifts toward clearer limits: stronger evidence for grazing and specialty crops, but continued uncertainty for large mechanized row-crop systems.
The story has broadened from mostly U.S. testing and policy friction into clearer commercial-scale deployment, especially in the Philippines, where a near-200-megawatt project is now part of the narrative. It also shifts from emphasizing general benefits to stressing the design and operational constraints that determine whether agrivoltaics remains agriculturally viable.
Featured
07-20-2026
Byron Kominek launched Jack's Solar Garden near Longmont, Colorado, in 2016 to combine solar generation with agrovoltaic crops amid hotter, drier growing seasons.
07-01-2026
University of Wisconsin-Madison began 2025 agrivoltaics research at Kegonsa to test solar panel spacing effects on crops, grazing, and land-atmosphere measurements in Wisconsin.
05-16-2026
Agrivoltaics advocates farm-first design and measurable dual-use standards to ensure solar pv co-location preserves agricultural value in China, the United States, Europe, and Japan.
Timeline: 185 Days
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Additional Articles
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University of Arizona SALSA lab researchers test agrivoltaics in Arizona and report cooler panels and reduced heat exposure for farm crews.
In Virginia, legislators in 2025–2026 propose multiple bills to guide agrivoltaic and utility-scale solar siting as counties continue rejecting many projects.
University of Arizona researchers studying agrivoltaics in Casa Grande, Arizona report shaded solar arrays can lower skin temperatures and water use for crops.
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Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation deploys agrivoltaics at nearly 200 MW in Batangas, Philippines, guided by Tarlac trials testing turmeric under solar PV.
Doral and Kibbutz Ma'ale Gilboa harvested 30 tons of grapes under solar panels on Mount Gilboa, Israel, demonstrating agrivoltaics for heat-stressed farming.
In central Illinois, Pivot Energy agrivoltaics sites use sheep grazing to manage solar vegetation while landowners seek income diversification and rural acceptance.
Bryant Parker and Jessica Parker in Dunlap, Illinois deploy sheep grazing under a 7.1-megawatt solar farm to support agrivoltaics as Illinois expands community solar.
Linda Hezel tests a 9.7-kilowatt agrivoltaics solar array in Kearney, Missouri to reduce extreme-heat crop losses.
Agrivoltaics advocates in the United States promote solar-on-farm deployment as communities add siting restrictions and solar grant support declines.
University of Seville and Polytechnic University of Madrid researchers tested agrivoltaic photovoltaic shading with regulated deficit irrigation for tomatoes in Madrid and Seville in spring 2024.
Researchers mapped 25 years of California land use and solar footprints to compare full conversion with partial solar-crop colocation and evaluate financial and water effects.
Arizona State University researchers report crustivoltaics field results showing increased desert biocrust biomass and cover beneath solar photovoltaic panels.
SALSA continues agrivoltaics research in Arizona after foundation funding replaces USDA and DOE support, linking farmworker heat protection with solar generation.
Our Table Cooperative in south of Portland, Oregon, installs the Lettuce Shine agrivoltaics system to manage crop shade and generate power amid regional warming.
Virginia Senate Bill 340 defines agrivoltaics as solar panels enable concurrent farming and drought-related water savings while renewable capacity expands for data center demand.
RESET materials for Wisconsin community solar siting address farmland impacts, visual mitigation, and agrivoltaics practices including sheep grazing.
Agrivoltaics deployment in the United States combines solar PV generation and crop production to improve land use efficiency while providing farm energy and potential yield support.
Agrivoltaics project designs are evaluated by crop-specific farm performance, cost, and repeat adoption, with grazing under standard PV identified as most scalable.
U.S. solar farms adopting agrivoltaics and irrigation shading in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Arizona, and Texas aim to improve crop conditions and biodiversity outcomes alongside electricity generation.
Studies across Italy, Canada, and Brazil assess agrivoltaics productivity, while China and the US expand solar grazing and mapped site inventories in 2024.
Iowa State University researchers report first year agrivoltaics results at the Alliant Energy Solar Farm in Iowa in 2024.
Solar PV paired with farm production is expanding internationally, with U.S. policy changes in Illinois and Virginia and trials in France and studies in Italy and Brazil.
University of Bonn researchers surveyed nearly 2,000 adults in Germany and found higher willingness to pay for agrivoltaic solar than for conventional open-land solar parks.
University of Bonn survey results in Germany suggest agrivoltaics could gain more support than conventional solar parks for European solar expansion.
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Rural farmers adopt agrivoltaics since 2008 to deploy solar on farmland in Texas, New York, and Vermont amid funding shifts.
Michigan State University Extension hosts a webinar series on agrivoltaics to share research and best practices for farming within solar arrays in Michigan.
Farmers in the United States are adopting agrivoltaics to blend crop production with solar energy generation.
DataM Intelligence published an agrivoltaics market report in 2026, forecasting growth through 2032 while citing U.S.-led pilots and AI-enabled PV-crop optimization across Europe and Asia.