07/09/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GZzGUWekN/?mibextid=wwXIfr
A Colorado farmer has placed 3,276 solar panels over five acres of farmland, allowing crops to grow beneath them while producing clean electricity. The project shows how one piece of land can generate both food and power.
Known as agrivoltaics, the system uses elevated solar panels to provide partial shade for crops. The cooler conditions can reduce water evaporation and help some heat-sensitive plants during hot weather.
The solar installation also provides the farm with an additional source of income while keeping the land in agricultural use. Jack’s Solar Garden has become a research site for studying how crops, livestock and solar energy can coexist.
Agrivoltaics does not improve every crop in every climate, and results depend on crop type, panel spacing and local conditions. But when properly designed, the same farmland can produce crops and electricity instead of forcing farmers to choose between the two.
Sources:
Colorado Department of Agriculture
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
PBS NewsHour
The Guardian
