Silicon Ranch has launched its patented CattleTracker technology at the Christiana Solar Ranch in Tennessee, marking the first commercial deployment of a cattle-compatible agrivoltaics platform. The facility combines solar energy production with beef cattle grazing on the same property. The project represents the world's first large-scale integration of commercial cattle ranching with solar energy infrastructure. Silicon Ranch's tracking system moves into "grazing mode" to allow cattle to safely move beneath panels, based on multi-year research that resulted in two patents. Middle Tennessee Electric is partnering with Silicon Ranch to purchase the power generated by the facility, serving over 750,000 residents across 11 counties. The project uses American-made materials, including panels from First Solar's Alabama plant and steel components manufactured in Memphis. The technology builds on Silicon Ranch's Regenerative Energy programme, which promotes soil health and biodiversity whilst creating agricultural opportunities.

Silicon Ranch has launched a 40-acre solar farm in Christiana, Tennessee, that combines electricity generation with cattle grazing, aiming to prove the viability of larger livestock at solar sites. The company developed software allowing panels to rotate horizontally when cattle graze beneath them, whilst maintaining normal operations on ungrazed sections generating five megawatts of electricity. The project addresses challenges posed by cattle's size compared to sheep, which are more commonly used in agrivoltaics. Research suggests pasture beneath panels retains more moisture and provides shade, reducing heat stress and water consumption for animals. Farmers leasing land for solar typically earn around $1,000 per acre, roughly ten times traditional agriculture income. Silicon Ranch currently manages nearly 15,000 acres of grazed pasture, mostly with sheep, and will spend the next year demonstrating cattle grazing's effectiveness.

Phillips County solar project on track, company says; construction set to start this summer. $5M undertaking to generate enough power for 800 homes. A roughly $5 million solar project just outside of Helena-West Helena is progressing according to plan, the project's developers said Friday. Tennessee-based solar company Silicon Ranch announced plans in June to develop the 4 megawatt, 116-acre utility-scale solar project on farmland at U.S. 49 and Phillips County Road 307, just outside of West-Helena. The wattage is enough to power 800 homes. Silicon Ranch owns and operates more than 150 solar projects in 15 states across the country, including a 181-acre, 12-megawatt project in Camden that provides power for rocket manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne. It's on track to be completed by the end of the year or early next, with construction set to start this summer, according to company spokesman Blake Spurgeon. It's being developed by the company's subsidiary, ClearLoop. ClearLoop works to develop solar infrastructure for corporate customers who are looking to invest in renewable projects, according to Spurgeon. He declined to name the offtaker for the Phillips County project. The subsidiary has developed projects across the South, including three solar installation in Mississippi totaling 18 megawatts. "These ClearLoop projects are really economic development drivers," Spurgeon said. "It's taxes going straight into the county without us needing a tax abatement, or water services or anything like that." Company spokeswoman Hanna Nordin declined to disclose the estimated property tax revenue that the project will generate for Phillips County. The roughly $5 million capital investment into the project will "significantly increase," the parcel's tax contribution, said Nordin. Property tax revenues brought in around $12.7 million for Phillips County in 2020, according to a report from the University of Arkansas' Cooperative Extension Service. Helena-West Helena Mayor Joseph Whitfield couldn't be reached for comment. Nordin said that the company purchased the acreage from its previous owners, Nashville-based investment manager LandFund Partners LLC, last month. She declined to disclose the amount. Phillips County property records do not reflect the purchase. LandFund currently owns around 46,000 acres of farmland across the Mid-South. Silicon Ranch plans to use "regenerative land management practices" on the project, including sheep grazing. Agrivoltaics - the term for combining solar projects with livestock grazing - has seen increased use in Arkansas, including a Lightsource BP project near Searcy. Nearly 3,000 megawatts of solar power had been installed in the state by last year. There are 33 solar companies in the state, including a 2,000-acre, 180-megawatt solar field near Newport that generates electricity for General Motors. Lucas Dufalla is a Report for America Corps member. Financial support for this coverage came from the Community Journalism Project. Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans. Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism. Lucas Dufalla covers the Mississippi River Basin for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. A 2024 graduate of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, he has worked for news organizations in Pennsylvania and New England. He is also a Report for America Corps member.