Arizona farmworkers recently received funding to continue research into using solar panels above crops. This hybrid use of farmland for agriculture and solar energy is known as agrivoltaics and offers unexpected benefits to Arizona farmworkers. The shade provided by the elevated solar panels not only helps crops stay cool and healthy, but it also allows farmers to protect themselves from the Arizona sun.
Heat exposure is estimated to be the leading cause of up to 2,000 worker deaths in the United States each year (via Public Citizen). Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has historically found that farmworkers are 20 times more likely to die from heatstroke than the average American civilian. It is no exaggeration to say that shade production is another way in which solar panels save lives. Farm workers have even noticed that a little shade can keep drinking water cool all day, which is enough to make a big difference in comfort.
Another unexpected benefit Arizona farmworkers may one day see is income diversification. A research article by Debaleena Majumdar of Arizona State University highlighted the possibility of using agrivoltaics as a way to meet the demand for clean energy in the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area. If farm owners can follow the 20% rule for solar panels, they will profit by selling their excess energy to communities that need it.
The Future of Agrivoltaics for Arizona Farms
The future of agrivoltaics in Arizona was thrown into question in 2025 when the Semi-Arid Lab for Scaling Agrivoltaics (SALSA) lost its funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy. Shortly thereafter, the Thomas R. Brown Family Private Foundation (TRBFPF) stepped in and provided the funding allowing the SALSA team to continue their research. According to Greg Barron-Gafford, professor in charge of SALSA, this foundation has committed to funding the research for three years (via the University of Arizona) and said that TRBFPF’s involvement has inspired other groups to become interested in agrivoltaics.
Currently, the Oak Run Solar Project in Madison County, Ohio is on track to become the largest agrivoltaic project in the United States. The project is expected to include enough solar panels to generate up to 800 megawatts of clean electricity. It’s worth noting that solar panels can take years to pay for themselves, but that’s from a purely financial perspective. Agrivoltaic solar panels are already proving profitable for Arizona farmworkers who now enjoy a better quality of life in safer conditions.
