Double Duty Farmland: Agrivoltaics as an Answer to Farmers' Cost Crisis

And two actions you can take to support agrivoltaics

Sheep grazing among solar panels in a farm field. Agrivoltaic Solutions

by Marianne Krasny

Fertilizer prices, energy costs, farm labor, tariffs, and weather extremes. Farmers are facing a “poly-crisis.” To help them weather the storm suddenly coming at them from all sides, the administration has dangled the promise of direct farm subsidies and special exemptions for immigrant farm labor. And the EPA pushed the E15 rule, which increases the percentage of corn-based biofuel in gas from 10 to 15%, giving farmers a bigger domestic market for their corn crop. But, how much will a stronger market for corn help farmers facing exploding fertilizer and fuel costs due to the War in Iran?.

“When I saw the new fertilizer prices, I was like ‘holy crap.’ Talk about a kick to the gut.” Jolene Riessen, Iowa farmer, as quoted in NY Times.

Corn Farmers Can’t Make Ends Meet

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average corn farmer stood to lose over $150 per acre in 2025. One can only assume that fertilizer and other costs will lead to even higher losses in 2026. The government tinkering with the ethanol rule doesn’t seem likely to radically alter that balance sheet.

“We just did the math. And so, maybe looking to lose $58,000. So what am I going to do to negate that?” Jolene Riessen, Iowa farmer talking about this year’s losses on her 530 acres of corn, as quoted in NY Times.

There is a viable alternative that would seem to improve farmers’ bottom line. The economics of solar make more sense. Most farmers receive $1000 or more annually to lease a single acre for solar panels. For farmers with thousands of acres, setting aside a small portion of their land for solar can quickly add up to a steady income stream not so subject to market swings.

Turning Sunlight into Reliable Farm Income

Currently, instead of supporting this more lucrative alternative, Congress is trying to make it more difficult for farmers to install solar. Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) introduced the No Solar Panels on Fertile Farmland Act and USDA Secretary Rollins announced there will be no taxpayer dollars for solar panels on productive farmland. She was joined in the announcement by Tennessee politicians, alarmed that their state has lost over 1.2 million acres of farmland in the last 30 years. They neglected to mention that the vast majority of that land was lost to urban sprawl. As of 2023, current and contracted solar in Tennessee required less than 15,000 acres of land. If the energy giant Tennessee Valley Authority reaches their 2035 sustainability goal, about 80,000 acres or less than 0.5% of Tennessee’s farmland would be converted to solar.

In fact, solar on farms may be a solution to farmland loss. As farmers struggle to stay in business, the income from solar can help them keep their farms. A recent New York State study found that three times as many farmers believed signing a solar lease would improve their chance of staying in agriculture as opposed to possibility of leaving agriculture, and four times as many farmers with or contemplating solar leases planned to increase rather than decrease production on the portion of their land not in solar.

Less Land, More Power: Solar’s Advantage over Corn Ethanol

Because solar is more efficient at producing energy than corn ethanol, the amount of energy generated by one acre of solar is equal to that from 31 acres of corn. In other words, solar needs only 3.2% of the land in corn ethanol to generate the same amount of energy. And, unlike corn, solar doesn’t need to be situated on prime farmland.

According to the US Department of Energy, we would need only 10 million acres of land—or only 0.4% of the area of the United States—to supply all of our nation’s electricity using solar. Currently, about 30 million acres in the US are planted in corn used for ethanol, which supplies only about 5% of US energy needs.

In the not-too-distant future, solar electricity might even better meet US energy needs than corn ethanol fuel. Just three weeks after the start of the Iran War sparked higher gas prices, online searches for EVs surged 20%. And despite the cessation of Biden-era tax credits for buying EVs, US sales of used EVs popped 12 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2025.

Cornell University solar farm. Sarah Zemanick

It’s not an either-or: Agrovoltaics blend farming and solar

Of course, that 3.2% of land in solar still means people driving through the countryside will see an array of solar panels, which to some is an eyesore and less appealing than a field of corn. Enter agrivoltaics: integrating livestock and crops between rows of solar panels. The most common current agrivoltaic practice is grazing sheep, which are small enough to maneuver around and under solar arrays. Some farmers are also experimenting with grazing cows and even pigs around the panels. Agrivoltaics is a win-win for farmers, who profit not only from the land-leasing fees but also from the income energy companies often pay farmers for keeping the weeds down around the panels. Because sheep rather than tractors control the weeds, there’s less damage to the solar panels from rocks being tossed up. The sheep, in turn, benefit from the shade provided by the solar panels during hot afternoons. Other benefits include better soil health, more humane treatment of animals, habitat for pollinators, and, importantly, increased farmer income. In Ontario Canada, sheep agrivoltaics can provide farmers with a return on investment of up to 43%, compared to farming’s average of 12.36%.

Farmers are also experimenting with honey bees and crops such as apples, grapes, kale, tomatoes, and fava beans. Solar panels can provide shade and retain soil moisture, which is helpful for some crops, especially in drier climates. Mixing solar with livestock or crops is 1.2 times more productive, on average, than growing a crop alone.

Honeybee agrivoltaics. Because honeybees also pollinate plants, this practice could also be called “ecovoltaics.” MJ Richardson, Wikimedia Commons

Farmers also integrate solar arrays with plants that attract pollinator insects and grassland birds in a practice called ecovoltaics. For farmers to adopt ecovoltaics, it would need to be included as a conservation practice eligible for USDA funding.

A downside of animal agrivoltaics is that sheep and cows (but not pigs) emit large amounts of the potent greenhouse gas methane. I asked Cornell sheep agrivoltaics expert Niko Kochendoerfer how she balanced the costs and benefits of raising sheep amidst solar arrays.

“I am decidedly not saying that greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture should be ignored or are not important. To the contrary – carefully weighing costs and benefits is crucial. However, a narrow focus on greenhouse gases might lead us to favor intensive farming over more extensive grazing systems simply for their higher efficiency. That would mean losing the many environmental and economic benefits of grazing, as well as the community benefits like local sources of food, and of course cheap solar energy.”
Niko Kochendoerfer, Animal Scientist, Cornell University and Agrivoltaic Solutions LLC, Owner of sheep flock that grazes agrivoltaics

Can Agrivoltaics Soften Public Resistance to Solar?

Given the many financial and environmental benefits of agrivoltaics, why aren’t more farmers jumping on board? Cultural associations with solar may be part of the explanation. Farmers surveyed in New York State believed that friends and neighbors would be slightly opposed to them signing solar leases.

Additionally, growing corn is something American farmers excel at and is part of US farming traditions. Solar is associated with liberal (and seemingly “weak”) politicians as far back as President Carter, who installed solar panels on the White House roof. (The panels were later removed by a more conservative and “manly” President Reagan). The Trump administration, with its constant contempt for clean energy, can only aggravate the cultural divide about solar.

Solar panels being installed on the roof of the White House during the Carter administration. Wikimedia Commons

Agrivoltaics can be part of the solution to farmers’ and the public’s reluctance to install solar. In one large public survey, 82% of respondents said they would be more likely to support solar development in their community if it integrated agricultural production.

“A big challenge with solar is acceptance in rural communities. We’ve consulted on 30,000+ acres of utility scale solar in the US. Agricultural integration is wanted and even required by communities and helps with permitting.”
Niko Kochendoerfer, Animal Scientist, Cornell University and Agrivoltaic Solutions LLC, Owner of sheep flock that grazes agrivoltaics

Yet, for the farmer, barriers remain. Installing agrivoltaics on a farm is a 30-year commitment, and so limits farmers’ choices should the economics change. Converting land to agrivoltaics also poses some uncertainty for farmers who are attempting it for the first time. They need to know which crops or grazing practices will thrive on farmland with solar panels. Importantly, the finances will need to work. Farmers will ask: What grants and loans are available from the federal or state government for agrivoltaics? And can land in solar retain agriculture tax benefits, or will it be classified as industrial? Farmers may also need help understanding the often lengthy and complex contracts they sign with solar companies.

TAKE ACTION

Agrivoltaics has the potential to help farmers stay in farming, including corn farmers who are losing money due to high fertilizer and energy costs. Agrivoltaics is also a critical part of the transition to clean renewable energy. We need government policies to support farmers as they navigate this transition.

The live links in the actions below go to letters I have written urging Congress and state legislators to support agrivoltaics. You can edit or simply send the letters using the Climate Action Now app.

Take Action: Ask Congress to add agrivoltaics research and support to the Farm Bill

Take Action: Ask your state to support agrivoltaics