On-farm solar photovoltaics program

What is on-farm solar?

On-farm solar (or agrivoltaics) can offer farmers and rural landowners a smaller environmental footprint and fewer economic risks than oil and gas development, while still providing a reliable secondary source of income.

How can on-farm solar development help farmers and rural communities?

On-farm solar development can help meet the country’s swelling demand for carbon-free energy, offer farmers and rural communities a consistent and long-term stream of income, and even boost agricultural productivity under the right circumstances.

Are solar panels a good fit for your farm?

Solar panels can increase your operation’s profitability. One government grant program for solar panels on farms is called the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Why solar energy may be a good fit for your farmers and ranchers Tips and funding opportunities for solar projects on your farm

Should solar energy be located on farmland?

Locating solar energy on farmland could significantly increase the available land for solar development, while maintaining land in agricultural production and expanding economic opportunities for farmers, rural communities, and the solar industry.

Is solar energy a good option for farmers?

Solar energy offers farmers the opportunity to harvest the sun twice—the same reason land is good for farming (flat, open areas), also makes it good for solar installations. The Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) is researching the opportunities and trade-offs of agrivoltaics.

Could agrivoltaics be a solution?

Combining agriculture and solar on the same piece of land might be a solution, which is why DOE is funding $15 million in research on how agrivoltaics could work for farmers, the solar industry, and communities. Agrivoltaics is still a nascent business model.