Agrivoltaics in Practice: A Farmer’s Financial Lifeline

St. Croix Farm in Update New York Shows How Clean Energy Can Function as Economic Infrastructure

Agrivoltaics—pairing solar with active agriculture—is often discussed in theory. A recent site visit to St. Croix Farm in upstate New York, owned by third-generation farmer John Moore, showed how this model works in practice and why it matters for rural economic development.

For chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, projects like this are not just about clean energy. They are about keeping working lands productive, stabilizing the local tax base, and supporting the long-term viability of rural businesses.

As Moore put it, “It’s not a living, it’s a lifestyle for us. Farming is break-even. It’s tough to make that pay.”

Agrivoltaics, he explained, helps make long-term farming viable without giving up the land.

Farming & Solar: A Complement, Not a Tradeoff

St. Croix Farm spans almost 700 acres, with about 30 acres hosting solar on heavy clay soils that are less productive for traditional cropping. Siting was intentional: The array occupies a small portion of the farm and was planned with visibility and neighbor concerns in mind. Moore met directly with nearby neighbors in advance to address potential impacts—an approach that helped build trust and avoid conflict.

The land under and around the panels remains in active agricultural use. Come spring, sheep will graze beneath single-axis trackers, and Moore manages the site through a maintenance agreement with the developer. Project fencing adds an added benefit: additional protection for grazing animals.

Cattle grazing was considered early on, but Moore ultimately chose sheep and chickens. A sheep, he noted, can raise its own weight in offspring in a year, compared to roughly two years for a beef cow—an example of how agrivoltaics can encourage farmers to rethink tradition in favor of what works economically.

Making the Economics Work

For many farms, agriculture alone is break-even at best. As Moore summed it up bluntly: “No matter what a guy’s worth, you can’t pay him that.”

Agrivoltaics helps by stacking compatible uses:

• A 30+ year lease covers the farm’s $26,000 annual property and school taxes, improving long-term financial predictability.

• A farmer-led maintenance agreement brings the operation to roughly break-even, with sheep-based vegetation management making the arrangement even more attractive.

• The developer pays the town through a PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) agreement, providing municipal revenue while minimizing impacts on residents and schools.

For rural communities, these outcomes matter. When farms can reliably cover taxes and remain viable, they are less likely to sell land, scale back operations, or exit the local economy altogether.

Benefits Beyond the Balance Sheet

Because the soil will not be tilled for decades, long-term soil health is expected to improve. Single-axis tracking panels increase solar output while providing shade and moisture retention that benefit grazing animals and reduce soil stress.

A conservation agreement with the Agricultural Stewardship Association ensures the land remains protected farmland—reinforcing the idea that energy development and land conservation can move forward together.

A Bottleneck to Watch: Interconnection

One challenge remains unresolved: grid interconnection. Although the solar array is built, the project is still waiting on the utility to complete interconnection. For chambers and economic developers, this delay is a reminder that transmission and interconnection constraints remain a major barrier to scaling projects that are otherwise well-sited and community-supported.

Why This Matters for Economic Development

Thoughtful siting, continued agricultural use, and local operations and maintenance keep dollars circulating locally. The town gains predictable revenue without increased service demands, while the farm gains long-term stability.

Agrivoltaics offers chambers and economic developers a replicable model: it supports farms, stabilizes tax revenue, and keeps land productive. When done thoughtfully, renewable energy strengthens rural and grid resilience.

CICE’s Energizing Economies campaign builds on examples like St. Croix Farm to help communities navigate utility-scale clean energy development where projects are slowed or stalled by local siting challenges. Learn more about how we can help.

This article is the second in CICE’s Solar Fix series.