{"id":21188,"date":"2022-10-17T21:46:57","date_gmt":"2022-10-17T21:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lightsourcebp.com\/news\/the-responsible-solar-approach-part-4-agrivoltaics\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T10:44:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T10:44:47","slug":"the-responsible-solar-approach-part-4-agrivoltaics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandbox.lightsourcebp.com\/us\/news\/the-responsible-solar-approach-part-4-agrivoltaics\/","title":{"rendered":"The Responsible Solar Approach Part 4: Agrivoltaics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Responsible Solar Approach Part 4: Agrivoltaics<\/h1>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
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Fourth article in a series by Alyssa Edwards,<\/a> Senior Vice President, Environmental Affairs and Government Relations:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Multi-use land initiatives are changing how solar integrates with farm communities.<\/h2>\n

\u00a0Your next sip of tequila could have started in the shade of a solar array.<\/p>\n

\u00a0So could the wool in your sweater.<\/p>\n

\u00a0That\u2019s because\u00a0agrivoltaics<\/a>, the co-location of solar and agriculture, could make it possible.<\/p>\n

\u00a0As I said in a previous article,\u00a0solar farms can grow a lot more than electricity<\/a>. By investing in ways to use land under and around the panels for agriculture, we can better integrate solar into rural communities and increase revenue sources for local farmers.<\/p>\n

\u00a0According to the Energy Department\u2019s Solar Energy Technology Office,\u00a0Agrivoltaics<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0defined<\/a>\u00a0as agricultural production, such as crops, livestock grazing, and pollinator habitat that exist underneath solar panels and\/or in between or around rows of solar panels.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an emerging field. While exploratory research is currently evaluating fruit and vegetable crops, the most common and successful forms of agrivoltaics we see at solar projects right now are sheep grazing and bee keeping.<\/p>\n

Did you know that sheep farming industry is a\u00a0nearly $700M industry<\/a>? There are four main products made from sheep: lamb, mutton, wool, and dairy. I\u2019ve had the pleasure of learning from\u00a0Lexie Hain<\/a>, our newly hired Director of Agrivoltaics and Land Management. Lexie owns a farm in upstate New York and she has built a solar sheep grazing business. She\u2019s a founding member of the\u00a0American Solar Grazing Association<\/a>, which develops best practices to support shepherds and solar developers to both effectively manage solar installations and create new agribusiness profits.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Multi-use solar<\/strong>\u00a0describes the multiple uses at a solar site. From our perspective, those uses are ways to layer in co-benefits. If you wish to have sheep grazing on your solar the site must be ready for sheep to graze. That means establishing the soil and habitat first to ensure the plants are nutritious for sheep. The image below depicts how different uses, or layers, interact and support each other.<\/p>\n\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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Examples of agrivoltaics on solar farms include sheep grazing around solar arrays in Pennsylvania<\/a>,\u00a0agave cactus growing within arrays<\/a>\u00a0in the Southwest and Mexico. Ground cover, such as native wildflowers under arrays create pollinator habitat, which supports nearby crops that are not directly on the solar farm.<\/p>\n

\u00a0According to the Department of Energy\u2019s \u00a0Solar Energy Technologies Office<\/a>, combining energy production with farming can pay off with increased support from local communities and stronger local partnerships.<\/p>\n

\u00a0That support can be built through economic development and job opportunities. As Kevin Smith, Lightsource bp\u2019s CEO for the Americas,\u00a0noted in a recent article, multiple career fields are opening throughout the solar industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At our solar farm in Deport, Texas, shepherd Ely Valdez grazes 1,700 sheep around the solar arrays. Money earned from his flock have paid off his home.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s changing all of our lives,\u201d he told the Wall Street Journal.<\/a><\/p>\n

But plenty of research remains to determine what works best for the solar industry and communities.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Many factors determine which agricultural products make sense. Typically, the process begins with determining which solar technology is used on a site. Then, a crop suited to production in the region is put up for consideration. The crop cannot shade the panels or impede production\u2014for example, vines would twist in the racking and hinder the performance of the trackers\u2014and the crop should have some tolerance for shade.<\/p>\n

Solar panels provide a welcome respite to unrelenting solar radiation and reduced transpiration rates.\u00a0The solar agave and the solar sheep all benefit from the shade, requiring less in the way of irrigation or drinking water on a solar array than they do traditionally, out in an open field.<\/p>\n

We are exploring possibilities at the\u00a0Bellflower Solar Project in Indiana<\/a>, where we will generate 173 megawatts of electricity for Verizon Communications. We\u2019re working there to expand\u00a0pollinator habitats<\/a>\u00a0and to\u00a0graze sheep on the land<\/a>\u00a0around the solar arrays.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Our work at Bellflower is part of a larger effort to\u00a0further the scientific research<\/a>\u00a0into the creation of diverse pollinator habitats in the same acres as the grazing habitats. That\u2019s a true experiment in mulit-use solar.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Later this year, the Department of Energy will issue grants to solar developers and other researchers for its\u00a0Foundational Agricultural Research for Megawatt Scale (FARMS)<\/a>\u00a0program. This program is needed because, despite its obvious promise, we need more research into the most effective ways to use agrivoltaics. Which types of plants or animals are the most suitable, economic, and beneficial?<\/p>\n

\u00a0Applicants for the FARMS program provide an encouraging vision for the future. Some are developing solar panels with a\u00a0light-splitting technology<\/a>\u00a0that allows 100 percent of the colors needed for chlorophyll to reach the plants below the panels. Others are exploring techniques that allow solar arrays to thrive in\u00a0areas with high demand for available land<\/a>, such as Hawaii.<\/p>\n

\u00a0There\u2019s so much to learn, and the applications are enticing. Whether it\u2019s a margarita made with tequila born under a desert solar array, or honey raised from bees living on a solar farm, the possibilities are ours to explore.<\/p>\n

This article is the fourth in a series exploring how best practices in environmental and land management increase community acceptance and enhance the surrounding environment.\u00a0 Alyssa Edwards first published this article on LinkedIn in on October 17, 2022. To leave a comment or question, please view the original post here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Discover Responsible Solar<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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Related news <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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13 Jan, 2026<\/p>\n \n

Lightsource bp and Toyota enter into a power contract in Texas<\/h5>\n <\/a>\n

Lightsource bp and Toyota Motor North America have finalized a virtual power purchase agreement for energy from the 231MW Jones City 2 solar farm in Texas.<\/p>\n

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14 Oct, 2025<\/p>\n \n

Lightsource bp and Pinnacle Financial Partners announce $97.9M tax equity deal for Peacock Solar<\/h5>\n <\/a>\n

\u00a0Lightsource bp and Pinnacle Financial Partners today announced the closing of a $97.9 million tax equity deal to finance the 187 MW Peacock Solar in San Patricio County, TX.<\/p>\n

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15 Aug, 2025<\/p>\n \n

Lightsource bp wins two North American Agrivoltaics Awards<\/h5>\n <\/a>\n

Lightsource bp proudly announces receipt of two North American Agrivoltaics Awards: Solar Ranch of the Year and Champion of the Year.<\/p>\n

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