The Battle Over Solar on Farmland

Agrivoltaics—solar on farmland—is either a green revolution or a poison pill for good land. It depends which farmers you ask.

After seeing dueling signs on a road near his home, environmental journalist Henry Carnell spoke to two Oregon farmers that are diametrically opposed about the future of agrivoltaics.

The idea of integrating solar farms with agriculture was first conceived in the 1980s by a pair of German researchers as a way to alleviate poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. The plan never panned out, but about a decade ago, scientists in Japan reconsidered the technology as a potential player in the urgent push to decarbonize the world economy. Over the past decade, it has spread rapidly across the globe.

As of 2024, the last year for which statistics are available, there were more than 600 agrivoltaics sites in the United States producing 10 gigawatts of energy, enough to power 7.5 million homes—double the capacity of just four years before.

Still, many farmers are skeptical. Those who adopt agrivoltaics often face community ostracism for its perceived effect on land and property values—lowering or raising them, depending on the complaint—and for risking the health of the land.

Read Henry's full report at MotherJones.com.