Colorado continues to lead in agrivoltaics innovation

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) has awarded $300,000 in funding to five projects that demonstrate the technology and benefits of combining solar power generation with agriculture through the third round of the agency's Agrivoltaics Research and Development grant.

"The preservation of productive farmland in Colorado is of critical importance, which is why we must balance Colorado's visionary transition toward renewables with respect for agricultural viability, ensuring our policies and programs are formed by and for producers," said Evanne Caviness, Director of CDA's Conservation Services Division. "We are proud to fund innovative projects like these in Colorado, and to elevate their importance in the larger narrative of our state strategy for agrivoltaics implementation on the national stage, like at the 2025 Solar Farm Summit last week in Chicago."

The agrivoltaics grant program received 15 applications requesting a total of more than $1 million. The 5-person grant evaluation committee reviewed each application, scoring them on impact, producer benefits, innovation, approach, and budget and applicant experience.

The projects selected for funding span research institutions, non-profits, and farms. The projects selected were :

• Colorado State University (Dr. Knapp & Sturchio Lab) will quantify how agrivoltaic land use in the semi-arid native rangelands of Colorado can conserve soil moisture, particularly important during drought, and provide reliable, and perhaps increased, forage production for livestock (Weld County).
• AgriSolar Consulting will host a training workshop, create fact sheets, and convene a working group to help CSU Extension build expertise and capacity to provide science-based, actionable information on agrivoltaics to producers (statewide).
• Longroots Ranch will shift from continuous grazing to holistic planned grazing and regenerative grazing of sheep at a 55-acre solar array and establish an ecological monitoring process to measure land regeneration(Boulder County).
• American Farmland Trust will conduct interviews and focus groups with agricultural producers and electrical utility stakeholders that will identify key factors hindering agrivoltaics deployment, opportunities, and potential policy and programmatic solutions (statewide).
• Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center will host regional workshops focused on county officials, electric cooperatives, farming and ranching organizations, solar companies, land trusts, and other interested local organizations in their home communities to discuss local opportunities for agrivoltaics(statewide).

This is the third round of funding for agrivoltaic grants at CDA, with a total of $300,000 appropriated for Fiscal Year 2025-26. The two earlier rounds of grants distributed $500,000 each to a total of 13 projects.

This grant is administered by CDA's Agricultural Drought and Climate Resilience Office (ADCRO), which provides voluntary technical assistance, non-regulatory programs, and incentives to producers to increase their ability to anticipate, prepare for, mitigate, adapt to, and respond to hazardous events and trends related to drought or the climate. For more information, visit ag.colorado.gov/ADCRO.

Environmental Stewardship and Climate Resilience are part of CDA's Strategic Initiatives to advance voluntary stewardship and the adoption of climate resilience practices. This includes providing grant funding, technical assistance, and research to support farm and ranch resiliency to create a sustainable and resilient future for ourselves and our food supply.