Development of agrivoltaics in the USA: combining agriculture and solar energy

The agrivoltaics movement explores ways to site solar panel arrays on agricultural land while leaving space for growing crops and grazing livestock. One large-scale example is the 1.3-gigawatt Mammoth solar farm in Stark and Pulaski counties, Indiana, developed by Doral Renewables on land belonging to more than 65 families. The construction of the facility was carried out in phases.

Around 2,000 livestock animals graze across the Mammoth project site, including sheep, donkeys, alpacas, and Kunekune pigs. The animals act as natural vegetation managers, helping to reduce the use of diesel-powered mowing equipment. Indiana's steel sector produced 20,000 tons of steel for the project's racking components. Doral continues to explore agrivoltaic potential, including specialty crop production as well as sheep and cattle grazing.

Another company project, the 1.3-gigawatt Vista Sands in Wisconsin, focuses on native plant restoration and habitat preservation. The project has won support from conservation organizations, including the Audubon Society, through a partnership focused on grassland conservation. According to an engineering report, Vista Sands could generate $630 million in public health and ecosystem benefits in its first year of operation alone. In Indiana, Doral joined the Midwest Agrivoltaics for Resilient Communities (MARC) partnership led by Purdue University to research the potential of agrivoltaics in energy security and rural economic resilience.

At the same time, changes to the REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) rules implemented by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins restricted farmers' access to loans and grants. This led to a lawsuit against the USDA by environmental groups Environmental Law & Policy Center and Earthjustice over unexpected costs incurred by grant recipients.