Energies Media
Jess Gray did not set out to reinvent agricultural and solar practices across the Mid-Atlantic. She and her husband sold their residence, relocated to rural Pittsylvania County, and started raising livestock with the simple hope that the business would pay for itself. As Gray noted, the financial reality of traditional farming often presents immediate hurdles.
Her situation shifted dramatically after integrating livestock with clean energy infrastructure.
Today, Gray manages a large flock of ewes that graze across roughly 4,000 acres of photovoltaic arrays, stretching from her home county to the Atlantic coast. Her experience highlights a broader movement gaining momentum across the Commonwealth.
Five years ago, Gray and her husband committed fully to rural life in Pittsylvania County, located in south-central Virginia. They established a farm from scratch with sheep, poultry, and cattle, targeting self-sufficiency within a decade.
The decisive turn occurred when Gray recognized a practical synergy: utility-scale solar sites required regular vegetation control, and sheep provided an efficient, natural solution. Gray launched a specialized vegetation management company named Gray’s Lambscaping to offer targeted grazing services to solar developers. That recurring revenue stream transformed the financial stability of her enterprise almost immediately.
The income generated from these contracts flows back into expanding her core herd. Gray utilized the steady grazing revenue to invest directly in cattle, scaling her herd from two cows to fifty in just two years. That growth achieved an ambitious benchmark originally projected to take an entire decade.
This transition occurs alongside two intersecting statewide economic challenges. Virginia hosts the world’s highest concentration of data centers, with hundreds of facilities consuming vast amounts of electricity. Dominion Energy estimates that data centers could represent more than half of its total electricity sales by 2035, driving an urgent need for rapid grid expansion.
Concurrently, Virginia experiences significant loss of agricultural property. Between 1986 and 2018, agricultural production ceased on roughly 150,000 acres of prime cropland, primarily due to shifting financial returns rather than land degradation.
While commercial solar development faces local scrutiny, research indicates residential housing expansion accounts for a much larger portion of lost agricultural acreage. Nevertheless, local opposition led nearly two-thirds of Virginia counties to enact restrictions or moratoria on utility-scale solar projects. Because solar remains among the most cost-effective methods for expanding generation capacity, resolving this friction between land conservation and power demands is essential.
To reconcile these competing demands, Virginia enacted a landmark legal framework. The state became the fourth in the nation to pass a dedicated agrivoltaics statute, formally defining the term as the deliberate dual use of land for agricultural production and solar energy generation. To qualify, projects must support an active agricultural enterprise without significantly displacing farming operations.
The legislation received broad bipartisan support in the General Assembly. A companion measure limits blanket county prohibitions while preserving local authority to review individual project designs on a case-by-case basis.
State leaders designed the framework to help local officials distinguish well-planned dual-use developments from standard solar builds. Additionally, state executive initiatives are exploring potential financial mechanisms, including tax credits and grants, to accelerate dual-use adoption across regional markets.
The practical case for dual-use land management relies on clear agronomic and operational benefits. Managed grazing under solar arrays enriches soil biology, improves water retention, and reduces erosion. Shading provided by photovoltaic panels lowers heat stress for livestock during summer months, supporting animal welfare and productivity.
Agrivoltaics extends beyond livestock management. Agricultural research trials demonstrate that specialty crops, including nightshades and leafy greens, thrive beneath partial panel shade. Data compiled by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory indicates that active dual-use developments are expanding across the region.
Proponents emphasize that dual-use models restore economic viability to underutilized land. Coupling agricultural production with renewable energy revenue provides farmers with steady capital, protecting working landscapes from permanent industrial or suburban conversion.
The overall potential for regional adoption remains substantial. Virginia contains approximately 39,000 farms. Clean energy analysts estimate that integrating just one megawatt of solar capacity alongside battery storage across a fraction of these farms could yield gigawatts of distributed generation, deploying far faster than traditional thermal power facilities.
Recent state updates expanding community energy initiatives offer additional access points for smaller operations seeking to diversify income streams.
Combining agricultural production directly with clean energy infrastructure addresses multiple economic and environmental demands simultaneously. Texas farmers are grazing sheep beneath solar panels and growing their herds at a pace that is quietly rewriting the future of American farmland.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.

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