In 2024, a New York dairy farmer wanted solar income without losing his fields; the 6.5-megawatt project was designed around crops and cows

For a dairy farmer in northern New York, earning steady income from solar panels came with one condition: the land had to stay productive. Leasing fields for a conventional solar installation could provide financial security, but it also risked displacing the hay, corn and livestock operations that supported the farm. Rather than choose between agriculture and renewable energy, the farmer worked with a solar developer to design a project around his existing business.

According to Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, a solar project in New Bremen, New York, was designed to generate 6.5 megawatts of electricity while allowing the farmer to continue working his fields. The project, reported in August 2024, used wider spacing between solar panels to accommodate tractors and agricultural machinery. The farmer received lease income and harvested about 85% of his normal hay yield from the first cutting that year, an early example of how solar generation and food production can share farmland.

Designing solar panels around the farmer


The project came about when Greg Hering, CEO and founder of ClearPath Energy from Boston, pitched an idea of installing solar panels to the farmer. Though the farmer was excited by the prospect of earning extra money from the installation, he did not want to abandon his business of growing hay and corn, as well as raising beef cattle and 20 to 30 dairy cows. At first, Hering proposed sheep grazing, a common way to integrate livestock with solar energy. But the farmer did not want to change his way of doing business. They agreed on another design, increasing the distance between the panels to minimise shading and allow three or four tractor passes. However, this spacing accommodated the farm’s existing operations without necessarily meeting the wider space requirements of all row-crop machinery.

This solution reflects the agrivoltaics concept, which integrates agriculture and solar energy into a single system. Rather than treating cultivation as something that must pause when solar panels are installed, this design accounts for the equipment, crops and farm routine from the start. The first harvest was promising but not sufficient for assessing the yields throughout several seasons. Research published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews found that agrivoltaic outcomes depend on crop type, climate, panel arrangement and the amount of sunlight reaching plants. The New Bremen project therefore offers a promising practical approach, rather than proving that solar panels leave every crop unaffected.

An additional income stream for New York farms

For farmers facing high operating costs and fluctuating income, leasing land to solar developers can provide more stable revenue than farming alone. That income can help cover machinery costs and other expenses when market prices or production are unfavourable. In New Bremen, the farmer receives steady solar revenue without stopping his usual agricultural activities, which remain central to the farm. This development also fits into New York State’s renewable energy push, since the state aims to produce 70% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. But renewable energy facilities such as solar panels can compete with agriculture because they require open fields, especially in rural areas.

Cornell University provided an initial $1 million in state funding for agrivoltaics research, which will study the engineering, agricultural, economic and policy issues of shared land use. Researchers will analyse the effects of solar panels on crop productivity, soil, weeds, diseases and pests. A review in Plants, People, Planet has highlighted another potential advantage: shading from solar panels can sometimes reduce heat and drought stress, helping crops withstand difficult weather conditions. However, shade can also reduce yields for crops that require substantial sunlight. The results depend on local conditions and the way the system is designed, making field trials and long-term monitoring essential.

Why agrivoltaics is not suitable for every farm

Although promising, the New Bremen solution does not guarantee success on every farm. While greater panel spacing provides room for tractors, it reduces the amount of solar capacity that can be installed on a given plot of land. Larger equipment may need wider access lanes, and crops with higher light demands may not thrive in the panels' shade. Cornell agricultural experts have cautioned that pairing solar energy with corn production could be challenging because current machinery needs a lot of space. Small farms that produce hay and graze animals may find it relatively easy to work around the panels.

Instead, projects should be designed around agricultural needs, not the other way around. Before construction begins, planners should assess machinery access, soil quality, drainage, fencing, crops and lease security. In New Bremen, the benefits of that approach are already visible. The 6.5-megawatt solar facility allows the dairy farm to generate electricity and lease revenue while keeping access to the land and harvesting most of its first-cut hay in 2024. More studies will be required to assess productivity over time, but this example suggests renewable energy does not necessarily mean taking agricultural land out of use.