Agrivoltaics Make The Leap From Rural To Urban Farming

By: Tina Casey

Urban farms can be anchors of community resiliency, supporting food availability, economic opportunities, and educational activities, too. Now, the City of Detroit has embarked on a plan to add clean power to the list of benefits. The Solar Neighborhoods program incorporates agrivoltaics, enabling the city move forward with decarbonization goals for municipal operations. Partners in the project already anticipate that it will provide a model for similar programs in cities across the US.

Agrivoltaics, Community Solar, And Urban Farming

Agrivoltaics has been gaining traction as a rural movement that enables farmers to lease their land for solar arrays while continuing to use the land. Much of the practice currently involves livestock grazing, establishing pollinator habitats, and restoring native species.

Researchers have also compiled evidence that certain food crops can grow within appropriately designed solar arrays. New data-driven tools are enabling farmers to assess the balance between solar energy and crop revenues, too (see more solar-plus-farming background here).

The agrivoltaic movement has been expanding in parallel with the community solar trend, which enables local ratepayers to subscribe to solar arrays in or near their neighborhood. Ratepayers can save money on their electricity bills by subscribing to a community solar plan.

“The solar developer Lightstar Renewables was awarded a contract for the Gratiot/Findlay and State Fair solar arrays, comprising a total of 61 acres. The Michigan utility DTE Electric Company will construct the 43-acre Van Dyke/Lynch array.”

It was only a matter of time before community solar stakeholders began to embrace agrivoltaics as a means of providing additional benefits to local residents and businesses — for example, by providing free use of the land for “solar grazing.”

From there, the next step is to incorporate agrivoltaics into urban farms and gardens, and some cities have ample room for both. In Detroit, for example, resiliency and cost-saving goals support the idea of replacing blocks of vacant homes and other derelict properties with solar arrays.

FULL ARTICLE: https://cleantechnica.com/2025/05/23/agrivoltaics-make-the-leap-from-rural-to-urban-farming/

Contact Meghan Welborn, Director of Marketing & PR for press inquires and speaking enagagements for the Lightstar team.