Latest news with #agrivoltaics
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Experts uncover unexpected benefits of combining solar panels with livestock: 'Enough ... energy to power 70,000 homes'
The Myrtle solar farm in Brazoria County, Texas, is a shining example of sustainability that spans 2,400 acres of former pasture land and eliminates the need for fuel-powered lawnmowers. The facility, which was completed in 2023, is one of many renewable energy projects that have helped keep the state in the top three for installed solar capacity, alongside California and Florida. It is run by TotalEnergies, a Paris-based oil company, and features 705,000 photovoltaic cells and a herd of grass-munching sheep to help maintain the landscape, according to a report by ABC13. "Myrtle renewable power plant consists of two parts. One is a solar power plant of 380 megawatts that is generating enough clean and clear energy to power 70,000 homes," said Ahmed Sari, a construction manager who oversaw the project and spoke to the outlet. The solar power plant is complemented by a 225-megawatt battery storage system that's connected to support the local electrical grid as needed. These are crucial to expanding renewable resources such as solar and wind, helping store energy for use during peak demand hours. Agrivoltaics is a term used to describe the combination of solar power and farming, which frequently produces harmonious results. Many of these facilities use the shade provided by solar panels to give solace to crops and livestock while fostering natural habitats for pollinators. "We have sheep grazing under the solar panels in order to control vegetation in a very sustainable manner," said Marie Maitre, Total's external communications manager, per the report. The sheep get to enjoy a considerable amount of grazing land and shade, and groundskeepers don't need to use gas-guzzling lawnmowers or dangerous pesticides. This reduces maintenance costs, potentially lowering rates for consumers. Solar and wind installations accounted for 97.8% of all new U.S. electrical capacity in the first quarter of 2025, while dirty fuels such as gas and oil made up the meager difference, proving that the shift to more sustainable energy sources is gaining traction. Tesla and Honda have made deals to power their local operations with solar power generated in the state, and a new photovoltaic facility began production earlier this year. Do you think solar panels are an eyesore? Absolutely not Only in certain areas They always look bad I don't have an opinion Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Recent data showed that Texas has nearly 80% more solar, wind, and battery capacity combined than California, although the Golden State may have an edge in solar installations alone. A little competition can only help in our quest to shift to sustainable energy and ditch pollution-generating alternatives. "We are going to need all the energy types that we can have in order to meet the growing demand for energy of our growing world population," Maitre concluded. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
National Post
6 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Silicon Ranch Makes Strategic Investment in Swap Robotics
Article content Investment bolsters Silicon Ranch's agribusiness and land stewardship program while enabling Swap Robotics to expand operations and product development across the solar sector Article content Article content NASHVILLE, Tenn. & KITCHENER, Ontario — Silicon Ranch, the developer, owner, and operator of one of the nation's largest fleets of solar facilities, today announced a strategic investment in Swap Robotics, a pioneer in utility-scale solar robotic operations through its leading solar robotics platform. As part of the investment, Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and CEO Reagan Farr will join the board of directors at Swap Robotics. Article content Silicon Ranch is an industry leader that specializes in solar energy, agrivoltaics, and carbon solutions and employs a full-stack approach from development to long-term ownership and operation of its energy infrastructure projects, including the underlying real estate. The company is uniquely committed to land stewardship practices that restore and preserve the land beneath and around its arrays, and through its wholly-owned agribusiness, Regenerative Energy®, Silicon Ranch integrates regenerative ranching and other land stewardship practices that restore soil health, promote biodiversity, and improve water quality at its sites. Swap Robotics' 100% electric, autonomous robots align seamlessly with Silicon Ranch's high standards for land management, innovation, and environmental stewardship. Article content 'As part of Silicon Ranch's commitment to asset ownership and economic development, we own our land rather than lease it, and accordingly we embrace our responsibilities as land stewards through our agribusiness Regenerative Energy®,' said Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and CEO Reagan Farr. 'For the past couple of years, our team has explored several options to complement the managed livestock grazing activities of our shepherds and our company-owned flock of sheep. Following a successful pilot of Swap Robotics' technology, we determined that the mission, operational model, and strong leadership team at Swap Robotics align well with our vision of innovatively scaling a fully integrated agrivoltaics program that can be deployed across our fleet from coast to coast. We are pleased to make this strategic investment in Swap Robotics to help expand its business for the benefit of our entire industry.' Article content The investment from Silicon Ranch follows previous significant investments in Swap Robotics, including a $7 million investment round led by SOLV Energy in February 2023 and a $3 million investment from Array Technologies (NASDAQ: ARRY) in November 2024. This additional investment from Silicon Ranch will help propel Swap's momentum as it seeks to expand further within the North American solar sector, having already maintained thousands of acres of solar sites through dozens of robots deployed. Article content 'Soon after our founding in 2019, we set out to be the category creator of a solar robotics platform,' said Swap Robotics Founder and CEO Tim Lichti. 'This latest investment recognizes our position as a leader in the category and allows us to continue innovating and expanding in what is still an early and rapidly growing industry in North America. It's also a tremendous vote of confidence coming from Silicon Ranch, a respected pioneer and leader in solar development, operations, and sustainable land management.' Article content Silicon Ranch currently owns approximately 50,000 acres of land—a number that will more than double in the next few years—and its Asset Management team was impressed by Swap's innovative, purpose-built robots that combine efficiency with advanced autonomous technology. The robots can be quickly deployed across large sites, complementing Silicon Ranch's own flock of sheep for vegetation management. Additionally, Swap's battery-powered robots can operate both during the day and at night, and they are significantly quieter compared to conventional mowers. Article content Founded in 2011, Silicon Ranch is a fully integrated provider of customized solar energy, battery storage, and carbon solutions. The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the U.S., with a portfolio that includes more than seven gigawatts of solar and battery storage systems that are contracted, under construction, or operating across the U.S. and Canada. Silicon Ranch owns and operates every project in its portfolio and has maintained an unrivalled track record of project execution. Silicon Ranch has the largest wholly-owned agrivoltaics portfolio in the country under Regenerative Energy®, its nationally recognized agribusiness and holistic approach to project design, construction, and land stewardship. This model incorporates regenerative ranching and other regenerative land stewardship practices to restore soil health, promote biodiversity, and improve water quality. Silicon Ranch's carbon solutions platform, Clearloop®, helps businesses of all sizes reclaim their carbon footprint by commissioning new solar projects in American communities where significant economic and environmental benefits can be achieved. Follow Silicon Ranch on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Article content Swap Robotics is a leading robotics company for utility-scale solar construction, operations and maintenance. Swap Robotics is the category creator of solar robotics platforms. In the O&M phase, Swap robots address what can be the single largest line-item expense for utility-scale solar sites: managing the vegetation. Both the hardware and software of Swap's 100% electric robotics platform is designed and built in-house. Having pioneered the world's first 100% electric 'rough cut' and offsettable cutting decks, Swap robots cut the vegetation on thousands of acres of solar sites. The Swap Robotics platform can also address the single biggest labor expense in the EPC phase: laying solar panels. Additionally, the solar robotics platform can perform robotic materials movement on solar sites, such as staging i-beams, torque tubes and pallets of solar panels. Swap's practical approach is the result of Swap staff and robots having worked on solar sites for years. Swap Robotics has investments from several global leaders in the solar industry, including the world's largest solar EPC and O&M, the world's second largest solar tracking company, and some of USA's largest solar asset owners and solar vegetation management companies. Swap's ten-year goal is to be the clear world leader in utility-scale solar robotics. Swap is on a mission to speed the clean energy transition through becoming the leading outdoor work robotics platform. Follow Swap Robotics on LinkedIn. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content Article content
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
How Oman is embracing agrivoltaics for a sustainable future?
Beneath the bright Omani sun, a quiet transformation is taking root. Fields that once lay exposed to the harsh desert heat may soon be shaded by rows of solar panels - not as a replacement for agriculture, but as its ally. This is agrivoltaics: a forward-thinking approach where farming and solar energy generation go hand in hand, promising a new model of land use for arid regions like Oman. Agrivoltaics - the practice of combining solar panels with agriculture on the same land - was first proposed in 1981 by German physicist Adolf Goetzberger as a solution to the competing demands for land, food, and energy (AgTech Digest, 2024). By shading crops and reducing water loss while generating electricity, agrivoltaics is particularly suited to arid, sunny regions like Oman. Globally, the market is expanding rapidly: Global Market Insights (2024) valued the agrivoltaics sector at $6.3 billion, forecasting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6% through 2034. A UK-based study by the University of Sheffield (2024) further highlighted that deploying agrivoltaics on 20,272 km² of high-grade farmland could generate around 338 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, while maintaining agricultural output - a model with clear potential for countries seeking sustainable land use. For Oman, where Vision 2040 prioritises both sustainable agriculture and renewable energy, agrivoltaics offers an opportunity to make its land work smarter: producing food, conserving water, and harvesting energy from the sun. The concept is simple but powerful. By combining agriculture with solar installations, land can serve two purposes at once; growing crops while generating clean electricity. The panels provide shade that reduces evaporation and heat stress for plants, while the ground below helps cool the panels, improving their efficiency. It's an elegant solution to some of the most pressing challenges facing Oman today: water scarcity, food security, and the urgent need to expand renewable energy. Earlier this year, Oman announced plans for its first large-scale agrivoltaics project: a 300-acre agri-solar park backed by an investment of over RO 61 million. Singapore's V-Plus Agritech will contribute advanced technologies, including vertical aquaponics and circular farming systems. The project supports Oman's Vision 2040, which calls for economic diversification and greater sustainability across all sectors. Few countries are better suited to agrivoltaics than Oman. The Sultanate enjoys year-round sunshine — an abundant natural resource that remains underutilized. At the same time, water is precious, and conventional agriculture faces rising challenges due to climate change. In this context, the ability to grow food while producing clean power and conserving water represents a major opportunity. The country's recent momentum in solar energy supports this path. By the end of 2025, Oman's small and mid-scale solar capacity is expected to reach about 130 MW, and the launch of giga-scale solar projects signals growing ambition. Integrating agrivoltaics into this mix could multiply the benefits, generating local jobs, enhancing food resilience, and positioning Oman as a regional leader in sustainable land use. For Oman, agrivoltaics is more than a technological innovation — it's part of a broader journey toward a balanced, sustainable future where land works harder and smarter for the people who depend on it. If successful, the first projects could pave the way for more; transforming the landscape of farming, energy, and opportunity in the years to come.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Farmers discover innovative new way their land can pull double duty: 'It doesn't have to look the way it did when your grandparents started farming'
Agrivoltaics is reshaping the agriculture industry, benefitting farmers and the planet. According to The Appalachian Voice, agrivoltaics is when land is used for agriculture and solar farming. With solar panels raised off the ground, this brilliant system allows land to pull double duty. For a long time, there has been tension between the agriculture and solar industries. Solar farms take up land that could be used for agriculture. In some situations, farmers were forced off their land to make room for solar, destroying their livelihood. Agrivoltaics eliminates this problem. Farmers can keep farming, and solar panels can produce energy that doesn't contribute to pollution. Burning dirty energy sources releases harmful carbon pollution, which raises the Earth's temperature and accelerates the changing climate. Solar energy is a green alternative, providing energy without pollution. Not only can farmers continue to use the land for agriculture, but they can also make more money. Cody Moore, a sheep-grazing farmer in Tennessee, explains, "If it weren't for these solar farms, there would be no way I could do this … There's just no other way." He pointed out that combining the profits of solar with farming takes "some of the volatility out of the agricultural market." Agrivoltaic setups protect farmers' livelihoods while giving them a new, more stable source of income. Solar companies, like EnergySage, benefit too. Farmers maintain the land, ensuring the panels aren't blocked by overgrown vegetation. Technically, the sheep and cattle take care of that with their snacking. It's not just grazing sheep and cattle. Beekeeping farms, greenhouses, and crop farms can all operate with solar panels above them. The panels are raised high enough for plants to get all the sunshine they need. If you were to install home solar panels, which of these factors would be your primary motivation? Energy independence Lower power bills Helping the planet No chance I ever go solar Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Agrivoltaics is a win for farmers, solar companies, and the whole planet. Even the land wins. Jess Gray, the CEO of Gray's LAMBscaping, a solar grazing farm, told TAV: "I wish more people would recognize that dual-use solar is a fantastic idea because we're getting clean energy but also taking time and almost letting the field be fallow again." The InSPIRE agrivoltaics map shows 599 sites across 64,689 acres of farmland, producing 10,310 megawatts of power. That's enough to power over one million homes. But there is plenty more land that could be used for agrivoltaics. According to Silo, Texas, Montana, and Kansas have the most farmland, holding over 25% of all U.S. farmland. Texas has six agrivoltaics installations, Montana has two, and Kansas has zero. On the other hand, states like Minnesota and Massachusetts have dozens. There are over 1.8 million U.S. farms across 876 million acres. If every farmer adopted agrivoltaics, it could theoretically power most or all U.S. homes. Elon Musk has even said, "If you wanted to power the entire United States with solar panels, it would take a fairly small corner of Nevada or Texas or Utah … You only need about 100 miles by 100 miles (6.4 million acres)," per Inovateus. Gray highlighted, "It's about getting people to understand that agriculture changes, and it's supposed to change … It doesn't have to look the way it did when your grandparents started farming." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
