Earn $800–$1,500 per acre every year for 25+ years while your land keeps producing crops and grazing cattle.
Agrivoltaics allows solar energy production and active agriculture to run simultaneously on the same land. Solar developers lease your acres. You keep farming them.
This is not a sales pitch from a solar developer. Agrivoltaics America is an independent landowner resource — no developer affiliations, no commission on any deal.
annually
lease term
certain crops
preserved
“Developers run full feasibility models before calling you. They know what your land is worth. Most landowners don’t.”
Solar and agriculture
on the same acres.
At the same time.
Traditional solar leases take land out of production. A developer pays you to stop farming and covers your ground with low-mounted panels. Agrivoltaics is different.
Modern elevated racking systems allow tractors to pass underneath. Livestock graze in shade. Many crops — particularly leafy greens, herbs, and forage — produce meaningfully better yields under partial shade than in full sun, especially in high-heat regions.
The developer installs and operates the solar system. You continue running agricultural operations on the same land. Both sides produce income from the same acres. That’s the model.
Lease payments are typically $800 to $1,500+ per acre annually, with 1–2% annual escalators, for terms of 25–30 years. The exact rate depends on solar irradiance, grid proximity, land class, and project size.
What you should know upfront
These are long-term commitments — 25 to 30 years. Transmission infrastructure must be nearby for a project to pencil. Decommissioning, agricultural rights, and assignment restrictions vary significantly between developers and must be negotiated. A bad lease structure can cost your family hundreds of thousands of dollars. That’s what this site exists to help you avoid.
Crop Production Under Panels
Research from NREL and Oregon State confirms yield increases of 20–30% in leafy greens and herbs. Soil moisture retention improves. Irrigation demand drops.
Cattle and Sheep in Agrivoltaic Systems
Shade reduces heat stress and improves weight gain. The most common U.S. model uses sheep for vegetation management, but cattle operations are scaling in multiple states.
How Lease Payments Are Structured
Flat per-acre annual payment plus escalator, typically 1–2% per year. Some developers offer CPI-linked escalators. A $1,000/acre lease at 1.5% pays $1,282 in year 25.
Property Tax Implications
In most states, land under an active agrivoltaic system retains agricultural tax classification. Verify with your county assessor before signing anything — some counties reclassify regardless.
Get the free Landowner’s
Guide to Agrivoltaics.
A plain-English breakdown of what these leases actually are — without the solar developer spin — so you can quickly tell if a lease is right for your ground and avoid getting low-balled or locked into a bad deal.
- What agrivoltaic leases really are and how they differ from traditional solar
- Typical $/acre ranges and contract lengths across U.S. regions
- The 7 red-flag clauses that can cost your family hundreds of thousands
- How solar lease income is taxed and what elections matter
- Questions to ask any solar developer before you sign anything
So you can evaluate any proposal from a position of knowledge — not pressure.
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Your information is never sold or shared with solar developers.
What developers won’t
tell you upfront.
Solar developers run detailed feasibility studies on your land before approaching you. They know your irradiance data, grid proximity, and projected revenue. Their opening offer is almost never their best offer.
Most landowners who regret agrivoltaic leases didn’t regret the decision to lease — they regretted the specific terms they agreed to without understanding what was negotiable.
Here’s what costs landowners the most money.
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01Option agreements are binding
Most landowners treat them as casual interest. They are not. An executed option restricts what you can do with your land and gives the developer priority rights. Have an attorney review before signing.
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02Decommissioning must be financially secured
Who removes the panels in year 25 — and who pays for it — must be defined in the lease with a bond or escrow, not a promise from a company that may have changed hands multiple times.
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03Agricultural rights must be spelled out exactly
“You can continue farming” is not a lease clause. Your specific permitted operations, equipment access rights, and any restrictions must be listed explicitly in writing.
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04Assignment clauses can transfer your lease without consent
Solar projects frequently change ownership. Your lease terms must be binding on successors, and you should understand what restrictions apply if the developer assigns the agreement.
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05Right of first refusal can complicate your estate
Some leases include provisions giving the developer the right to match any purchase offer on your land. This can make your property significantly harder to sell or pass to heirs.
From the Journal
What’s a Fair Per-Acre Rate for an Agrivoltaic Lease Right Now?
Lease rates vary widely by state, grid proximity, and land class. Here’s what landowners are actually seeing in executed deals — and what to say when a developer presents a number.
Sheep, Cattle, and Solar: Which Grazing Model Works?
Sheep dominate U.S. installations. But cattle operations are making it work too. Here’s what the data shows.
5 Lease Clauses That Consistently Cost Landowners Money
Most landowners sign without an attorney. These five provisions are where developers take advantage of information asymmetry.