Agrivoltaics: Farming and Solar Power on the Same Land

Picture a field of leafy greens growing in neat rows beneath elevated solar panels, with sheep grazing peacefully in the shade nearby. It sounds like a scene from a utopian future, but it is happening right now across the United States and around the world. This is agrivoltaics — the practice of producing food and clean energy on the same piece of land — and it is quietly becoming one of the smartest ideas in the renewable energy space.

As solar energy scales up to meet climate goals, a legitimate concern keeps surfacing: where do we put all these panels without paving over productive farmland? Agrivoltaics offers an elegant answer. Instead of choosing between food and energy, we can have both. Here is how it works, why it matters, and what it means for your community and your electric bill.

What Is Agrivoltaics?

Agrivoltaics — also called dual-use solar or solar sharing — means co-locating agricultural activities and solar panel installations on the same land. Rather than covering a field entirely with ground-mounted panels, agrivoltaic systems are designed so that crops, livestock, or pollinator habitats coexist with solar energy production.

There are three basic approaches:

Elevated systems mount solar panels high enough (at least six feet) for farm workers and equipment to move freely beneath them. Crops grow in the partial shade underneath. This is the most research-intensive approach, and it is where the most interesting yield data comes from.

Inter-row systems plant crops or graze livestock in the wide spaces between conventional rows of solar panels. The crops get more direct sunlight but less weather protection than in elevated systems.

Combination systems blend both approaches, optimizing panel height, spacing, and crop selection for the specific site and climate.

The concept is not new — Japan has been experimenting with "solar sharing" since 2004 — but it has exploded in popularity over the past few years as the solar industry, farming communities, and policymakers have recognized its potential.

The Surprising Science: Why Crops Can Actually Do Better

Here is the counterintuitive part: for many crops, growing under solar panels actually improves yields.

It sounds backwards. Plants need sunlight, right? They do, but many crops — particularly leafy greens, root vegetables, and berries — actually suffer when they get too much direct sun and heat. Excessive heat stresses plants, increases water loss through evapotranspiration, and can damage leaves and fruit. The partial shade provided by solar panels creates a cooler, more moderate microclimate that some crops genuinely prefer.

Research from around the world supports this:

• In studies conducted in Kenya, cabbages grown under solar panels were up to 33% larger than those grown in full sun. Lettuce and eggplant showed similar improvements.
• Shade-tolerant crops like lettuce, spinach, and potatoes have consistently shown yield benefits under moderate shading (up to 50% shade).
• Berry crops — particularly blueberries — perform well in the dappled light beneath panels.
• Herbs like basil and cilantro tolerate shade and benefit from reduced heat stress.

But here is the nuance that honest reporting requires: it does not work for everything, everywhere. A major 2026 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that results are highly dependent on both the crop and the climate:

• In the humid eastern Midwest, solar shading actually reduced yields — maize dropped 24% and soybeans dropped 16% — because these full-sun crops need maximum light in a climate that already provides adequate moisture.
• In semi-arid regions, the same crops showed economic benefits, because the shade reduced water stress enough to offset the reduced light.

The takeaway: agrivoltaics is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Matching the right crops to the right climate and panel configuration is essential.

Benefits Beyond Crop Yields

Cooler Panels, More Electricity

The relationship between plants and panels is genuinely symbiotic. Plants release moisture through evapotranspiration, which cools the air around them — and cooler solar panels produce more electricity. Panel temperatures can drop 1 to 3 degrees Celsius with vegetation growing beneath them. It is a small effect, but across a large installation it adds up to meaningfully more energy production.

Water Conservation

In hot, dry climates, the shade from solar panels significantly reduces water evaporation from the soil. This means less irrigation is needed — a crucial benefit in water-scarce regions of the American West, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa. For farmers already struggling with drought, this dual benefit of energy revenue and reduced water bills is compelling.

Worker Safety

Here is a benefit you might not expect: agrivoltaic systems reduced the wet bulb globe temperature (a measure of heat stress risk) by up to 9.9 degrees Fahrenheit compared to open-air farming. For farmworkers laboring in summer heat, that difference can prevent heat-related illness and keep operations running on days that would otherwise require stopping work.

Pollinator Paradise

Solar farms planted with native flowering vegetation instead of gravel or turf grass have shown remarkable results for pollinators. One study found a 412% increase in honey production for honeybee colonies near solar sites with pollinator-friendly plantings — without any interference with energy generation. Healthy pollinator populations benefit neighboring farms as well, creating a ripple effect across the local agricultural ecosystem.

Economic Resilience for Farmers

For farmers facing volatile commodity prices, an agrivoltaic lease provides a stable, long-term income stream from electricity production while they continue farming. If crop yields improve by 10 to 20%, total land revenue can exceed what a conventional solar-only installation would generate by 25 to 60%. The land keeps producing food, the farmer keeps farming, and the community gains clean energy.

Real Projects Making It Work

Jack's Solar Garden — Longmont, Colorado

The poster child for American agrivoltaics is a five-acre, 1.2-megawatt community solar farm in Longmont, Colorado. Jack's Solar Garden is the largest agrivoltaics research project in the United States, operating as a partnership between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Colorado State University, the University of Arizona, and the Kominek family who own the land.

The site researches everything from crop production and pollinator habitat to ecosystem services and pasture grass, and it doubles as a community education center. Over 5,500 people have visited, and the associated nonprofit Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center hosts school groups and community tours. It is a working demonstration that solar farms can be welcoming community assets rather than fenced-off industrial sites.

Lund Hill Solar Project — Washington State

At 150 megawatts, Avangrid's Lund Hill project in Klickitat County is one of the largest solar grazing operations in the Pacific Northwest. The project partnered with a fifth-generation sheep rancher to integrate livestock grazing with utility-scale solar production. The sheep maintain vegetation (reducing mowing costs for the solar operator), stay cool in the shade of the panels, and the rancher earns income from both wool and the grazing contract.

Growing National Footprint

As of mid-2024, NREL had identified over 560 dual-use solar sites across the United States, representing about 10,000 megawatts of solar capacity. That number has continued growing as more states create permitting pathways and incentive programs specifically for agrivoltaic projects.

How Does This Affect You as a Consumer?

Most agrivoltaic projects are utility-scale — you are not going to install elevated solar panels over your backyard vegetable garden (though some creative homeowners are trying). But agrivoltaics affects your energy future in several important ways:

Community Solar Access

Many agrivoltaic projects operate as community solar farms, which means you can subscribe to receive credits on your electricity bill from a local solar installation — even if you rent, have a shaded roof, or cannot install your own panels. Agrivoltaic community solar sites offer the added satisfaction of knowing your clean energy subscription is also supporting local agriculture.

If you are curious about emerging panel technologies that could make agrivoltaic installations even more efficient, our article on perovskite solar cells covers the next generation of solar technology.

Lower Opposition, Faster Deployment

One of the biggest obstacles to solar expansion is community opposition. Nobody loves the idea of productive farmland being covered in panels. Agrivoltaics addresses this concern directly by keeping the land in agricultural production, which makes permitting easier and projects less controversial. More projects getting built faster means more clean energy on the grid and, eventually, downward pressure on electricity prices.

Local Economic Benefits

Agrivoltaic projects keep farming jobs in the community while adding energy-sector employment. The revenue stays local — farmers earn lease income and continue selling crops, while the community gains reliable clean energy. It is a model that builds rural support for the clean energy transition rather than creating resentment.

Food Security Meets Energy Security

In an era of climate disruption, having land that simultaneously produces food and energy is a form of resilience. Communities with agrivoltaic installations are better insulated against both food supply disruptions and energy price spikes.

The Costs and Trade-Offs

Agrivoltaic installations cost 15 to 25% more than conventional ground-mounted solar, primarily because of taller mounting structures, wider row spacing, and modifications for irrigation, livestock, and worker safety. The engineering is more complex, and each site requires careful design based on the specific crops, climate, and farming practices involved.

Not every site is suitable. Full-sun crops like corn and wheat in humid climates may lose significant yield under panels. Insurance and financing structures for agrivoltaic projects are still being standardized. And long-term data is limited — most studies cover fewer than five years, so there are still unknowns about how crops and panels interact over a full 25 to 30-year solar installation lifespan.

That said, the dual revenue stream from farming plus energy typically more than offsets the higher installation costs, and improving community acceptance can be worth far more than the additional engineering expense.

The Global Picture

Agrivoltaics is not just an American phenomenon. The International Finance Corporation published a major report in March 2026 highlighting agrivoltaics as a key strategy for developing countries that need to simultaneously expand food production and energy access. In regions with high solar irradiance and water scarcity — think sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East — the water-saving benefits of agrivoltaics are particularly valuable.

Japan has been a pioneer since 2004. Germany, France, Italy, and South Korea all have active agrivoltaic research and deployment programs. The global installed capacity is growing rapidly as the evidence base strengthens and the economic case becomes clearer.

The Bottom Line

Agrivoltaics is one of those ideas that makes you wonder why it took so long to catch on. Instead of forcing a choice between food production and clean energy, we can have both — often with better results than either approach alone. Crops get shade and water savings. Panels get cooling from vegetation. Farmers get diversified income. Communities get clean energy and preserved farmland. Pollinators get habitat. Workers get safer conditions.

It is not perfect for every crop, every climate, or every site. But for the right combinations, agrivoltaics turns the "solar versus farmland" debate on its head. As the future of clean energy unfolds, expect to see a lot more solar panels with vegetables, sheep, and bees underneath them.

If you are interested in supporting this kind of project, look into community solar programs in your area — some of them are already operating on agrivoltaic sites. And if you are ready to generate your own clean energy, our guide to choosing the best solar panels can help you get started on your own roof.