ASGA’s Executive Director, Stacie Peterson, was recently featured in SEIA’s Good Energy Podcast. Stacie gave an excellent overview of the rapidly growing field of agrivoltaics. She explained that agrivoltaics can take many forms, including sheep and cattle grazing, pollinator habitats and beekeeping, and even crop cultivation beneath or around solar panels. This combination allows farmland to stay productive while supporting clean energy development. Rather than displacing agriculture, agrivoltaics keeps land “in farmer hands” and helps rural communities benefit directly from the clean energy transition.

She says, “This is keeping it in agricultural production. When done well, this is not removing anything from farmland. This is not a solely industrial space. This is an agricultural space that is also producing energy.”

Stacie describes agrivoltaics as a powerful economic opportunity for farmers. By grazing animals or growing crops on solar sites, farmers can generate consistent, long-term revenue through vegetation management contracts or leasing agreements with solar companies. This additional income can help family farms remain viable across generations and attract younger, more diverse participants into agriculture.

ASGA’s 2024 Solar Grazing Census shows that many of its members are in their 30s and 40s, with nearly half identifying as women—far more than the national average in farming. Agrivoltaics, she notes, provides both environmental and social co-benefits: healthier soil, pollinator support, community partnerships, and a new model for sustainable rural economies.

Stacie also shared ASGA’s mission to connect the solar and farming communities, support education through certification programs, and promote collaboration that benefits both industries. This podcast highlights how agrivoltaics helps preserve farmland, supports rural economies, and reshapes perceptions of solar development on agricultural land.

You can watch the full podcast, “How Sheep and Sunshine are Transforming American Agriculture and Energy,” here: https://seia.org/research-resources/https-seia-org-research-resources-how-solar-is-transforming-a-long-time-coal-state/