{"id":277329,"date":"2023-08-23T22:39:41","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T22:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightsourcebp.staging.1int.co.uk\/?page_id=277329"},"modified":"2025-12-19T19:02:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T19:02:49","slug":"agrivoltaics","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lightsourcebp.staging.1int.co.uk\/us\/responsible-solar\/environment\/agrivoltaics\/","title":{"rendered":"Agrivoltaics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Agrivoltaics<\/h1>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
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Agriculture and renewable energy sharing land<\/h2>\n

Solar farms can grow more than electricity. Agrivoltaics (agriculture + \u201cphotovoltaics\u201d) places crops or livestock underneath and between rows of solar panels. While researchers are trialing how to grow fruit and vegetable crops at scale, the most common and successful forms of agrivoltaics at solar projects currently are sheep grazing and bee keeping. These practices keep the land in agriculture while providing additional revenue for our farmer partners and ecosystem benefits to the environment.<\/p>\n

Lightsource bp has implemented solar grazing across 3GW of our operating U.S. solar portfolio. With more than 20,000 sheep under management, our partner solar shepherds are supporting American energy while creating healthier landscapes and maintaining vegetation under and around the solar panels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lightsource bp’s first solar honey operation in the United States launched at our Briar Creek solar farm in Texas in 2023, where a family leasing land to the solar farm also keeps commercial beehives on the property. Solar honey operations also are underway at Bellflower Solar in Indiana and Arche Solar in Ohio. With an abundance of flowers growing at the solar farms, providing nectar to the bees, these beekeepers can produce thousands of pounds of honey each year.<\/p>\n

Learn more about our agrivoltaics footprint in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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U.S. projects with agrivoltaics implemented by end of 2024<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n 3<\/span>\n \n GW<\/span>\n <\/h3>\n\n

with solar grazing implemented by end of 2024<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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farm families contracted for US agrivoltaics partnerships<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n 14,000<\/span>\n \n <\/h3>\n\n

sheep grazing our US solar farms by end of 2024<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n 750<\/span>\n \n <\/h3>\n\n

pounds of solar honey purchased by Lightsource bp (the beekeepers produce much more!)<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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Solar grazing is bringing new hope to America\u2019s farmers<\/h3>\n

The solar industry is helping revive sheep farming in America. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the U.S. imports more than half of its sheep products:<\/a> mainly meat and wool. That wasn\u2019t always the case. At peak, there were more than 50 million head of sheep in the USA. Today, estimates put the number around 5 million.<\/p>\n

As America\u2019s family farmers and ranchers face increasing economic stress,<\/a> opportunities to partner with solar farms are providing new income streams and in many cases, the ability to maintain or even expand their operations. Even better, solar shepherds are supporting American energy independence while creating healthier landscapes and maintaining vegetation<\/span> under and around the solar panels.<\/p>\n

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