On a sun-dappled pasture in Jeff Davis County, Georgia, a flock of sheep ambles between rows of solar panels at Silicon Ranch’s Snipesville Ranch—hooves treading soil, wool brushing against steel. This is agrivoltaics in action: land that feeds both the grid and the flock. In early 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) deepened their partnership to expand such dual-use systems, responding to farmers and rural leaders who want clean energy without sacrificing farmland or community control. Their joint approach, shaped by virtual listening sessions with stakeholders, is not about imposing solutions from above, but building them hand-in-hand with those who work the land.
The stakes are high. As renewable energy expands, so do concerns about land use, ownership, and who benefits. The USDA and DOE are addressing these by aligning federal funding with local priorities. For instance, rural electric cooperatives applying for USDA’s Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program must now submit community support letters—including one from local government—ensuring projects reflect local needs. Even more impactful is the Farmer Benefit Plan, which encourages New ERA awardees to invest directly in agriculture: building silos, reserving less-productive land for solar or wind, or offering discounted electricity to nearby farms.
Concrete data is starting to reveal the promise. The USDA’s Economic Research Service found that farmers in wind-producing regions earn an average of $17,303 annually from energy leases—supplemental income that can mean the difference between staying on the land or selling out. The agency is now refining its tracking to break down payments by technology, giving a clearer picture of solar’s potential. Meanwhile, DOE is funding research on how large-scale solar affects land ownership, farmer revenue, and even neighboring property values—critical insights for informed decision-making.
At the heart of this effort is agrivoltaics, the practice of co-locating solar panels and agriculture. USDA and DOE are funding research across livestock, specialty crops, and commodity farms of all sizes, examining not just crop yields but also economic and social impacts. The DOE’s national labs and USDA agencies like NIFA and ARS are expanding technical support, while the $8 million American-Made LASSO Prize invites innovators to design better systems for combining solar and cattle grazing—phase one applications due March 6, 2025.
Practical tools are already in circulation. The USDA’s Conservation Considerations for Solar Farms guide helps protect farmland during solar development, while the upcoming Farmer’s Guide to Going Solar will answer real-world questions about costs, contracts, and coexistence. And NREL’s InSPIRE project—the world’s largest, longest-running agrivoltaics research initiative—offers a public map of existing sites, a research repository, and a financial calculator for farmers weighing their options.
This isn’t a top-down transition. It’s a collaboration rooted in soil, sunlight, and sovereignty—one where farmers aren’t just hosts for clean energy, but its architects and beneficiaries.