UGA researchers find ‘triple win’ in combining solar energy and farming

Researchers at the University of Georgia are studying how agriculture and solar energy can work together on the same land.

Bodie Pennisi, a horticulture professor at UGA, said Georgia is seeing an increase in utility-scale solar projects.

“Much of that development is happening in rural agricultural counties,” Pennisi said. “Which creates a practical question: Can the same land support energy, farm production and ecosystem services instead of becoming a single-use site?”

Utility-scale solar refers to large, ground-mounted solar facilities — generally more than 1 megawatt in size — that feed electricity directly into the grid, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. These projects sell power to utilities or wholesale markets rather than powering individual buildings.

“This is the crux of our UGA agrivoltaics initiative,” Pennisi said. “We frame this as avoiding a choice between a farm, agriculture production and clean energy. We look at it as a triple win.”

Pennisi said the work focuses on producing energy from photovoltaic panels while maintaining agricultural production and ecosystem benefits.

“We have multiple studies combining solar energy production and agricultural activity,” she said. “Simply put, it’s about the land, livelihood and the resilience of the people, the farm and the environment.”

UGA is partnering with Silicon Ranch to research and advance agrivoltaics, the shared use of land for solar energy generation and agriculture, according to the company. There are 11 study sites in Georgia, including one in Elko, where students evaluate soil health, biodiversity and sheep grazing beneath solar panels to develop sustainable land-use strategies.

The sheep graze between rows of panels, naturally managing weeds, reducing wildfire risk and fertilizing the soil, which can increase water infiltration.

“The production sheep that graze on the land can be used for meat and milk,” Pennisi said. “In addition, if you plant the correct species of flowering plants, those plants can provide habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects. This improves the soil as well, because when you have animals on the land, they add nitrogen and make the soil healthier, creating multiple levels of agricultural production.”

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Partners.

Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@usatodayco.com or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.