By Andi Anderson
Should farmland be used for crops or solar panels? According to new research from Michigan State University, the best option may be both.
Graduate student Jake Stid of MSU’s College of Natural Science studied 25 years of satellite imagery and data from California to understand how land use decisions affect farm finances.
His findings, published in Nature Sustainability, reveal that farmers who installed solar panels on small, less productive portions of their land were more financially stable than those who either avoided solar entirely or converted entire fields into solar farms.
“The conversation shouldn’t be about solar or agriculture, but solar and agriculture,” Stid said.
These farmers reduced costs on fertilizer, water, and farming supplies while earning extra income by selling solar energy to the grid. The solar arrays also helped reduce irrigation needs — a key advantage in water-scarce regions.
Stid’s work began when MSU professor Anthony Kendall encouraged him to study solar patterns through Google Earth Engine. The research focused on California, a state known for both rich farmland and widespread solar energy use.
Using solar footprint data, crop cost studies, and energy models, the research team calculated that farmland lost to solar panels could have fed thousands. However, when solar arrays were used strategically on low-yield areas, farmers gained both financial security and environmental benefits.
This method, called colocation, involves growing crops around or beneath solar panels. Farmers using this approach faced less risk from weather instability and achieved a more resilient, multifunctional landscape.
Stid now hopes to expand the research across the U.S. and explore further environmental effects. He believes thoughtful solar placement can support a more sustainable and food-secure future.
“You have more benefits being distributed to more people,” Stid said. “That’s a more resilient landscape.”
Photo Credit: getty-images-elhenyo
Categories: Michigan, Sustainable Agriculture