What Is Agrivoltaics?

Agrivoltaics answers the most common objection to utility-scale solar: that it takes farmland out of production. In crop-based systems, panels are mounted roughly 8 to 15 feet high so tractors and harvesting equipment can pass beneath, and shade-tolerant crops — leafy greens, berries, herbs, forage — grow in the partial shade. In solar grazing, the more established form, sheep or cattle manage vegetation under standard ground-mounted arrays, replacing mechanical mowing.

Research at sites like Jack's Solar Garden in Colorado, studied with NREL and the University of Arizona, has found shade-tolerant crops can match or beat full-sun yields while using meaningfully less irrigation water, because panels reduce evaporation. Developers report the design adds modestly to project costs but improves community acceptance and permitting outcomes in agricultural counties — which is why the approach features prominently in county siting debates.