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Okarche Rep. Mike Dobrinski is a legislator who thinks solar power and agriculture in Oklahoma can co-exist.
He recently was on a panel at the Oklahoma Solar Summit held in Stillwater where he spoke of the opportunities and challenges facing ag producers as solar arrays are being developed across the state.
“I think that solar is very much needed,” Dobrinski said in an interview with the Oklahoma Farm Report. “We have embraced renewables in Oklahoma for the last 25 years with wind and solar.”
He also believes the spread of solar farms offers an opportunity for the state to explore ways for renewable energy and farming can coexist.
Rep. Dobrinski said agrivoltaics could provide a solution by allowing producers to continue grazing livestock or growing certain crops beneath and around solar panels.
“That is a win-win for everyone,” he added, particularly for producers struggling financially to maintain their operations.
Some opponents of solar farms have cried the massive arrays take away valuable farmland, such as the 5,000-acre Persica Solar farm proposed near Porter in Wagoner County.
Dobrinski believes the limited regulations in the state make it attractive for renewable energy development but he thinks there should be a better structure in place with minimal regulations.
“Obviously, landowner rights are first and foremost,” Dobrinski said, explaining that Oklahoma’s limited regulation has contributed to the state’s attractiveness for renewable energy development.
Although he has not observed significant abuses within the industry, Dobrinski believes additional oversight could improve transparency and public confidence.
“I think everyone would feel more comfortable if we had a structure in place of minimal regulation,” he said.
Nationally, solar project developers face a critical year in 2027. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law in July 2025, sharply shortened the timeline for wind and solar projects and credits for the projects disappear if the projects are not in service by the end of 2027. There is one exception to that 2027 cutoff. The OBBBA gave solar and wind projects one year to begin construction to retain tax credit eligibility, a countdown that ended July 4, 2026. Projects that met the July 4 deadline face a clock of their own. They generally have four calendar years after construction began to be placed in service. For projects that started this year, that means the end of 2030.
 
Jerry Bohnen is the founder and creator of OK Energy Today, which began in 2012. He is an Edward R. Murrow Investigative award winner and has been recognized by other national, regional and state institutions during his 50 years as a broadcast journalist. Contact Jerry at editor@okenergytoday.com
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