Agrivoltaics Makes The Leap From Rural To Urban Farming

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Last Updated on: 23rd May 2025, 09:52 am

Urban farms can be anchors of community resiliency, supporting food availability, economic opportunities, and educational activities, too. Now, the City of Detroit has embarked on a plan to add clean power to the list of benefits. The Solar Neighborhoods program incorporates agrivoltaics, enabling the city move forward with decarbonization goals for municipal operations. Partners in the project already anticipate that it will provide a model for similar programs in cities across the US.

Agrivoltaics, Community Solar, And Urban Farming

Agrivoltaics has been gaining traction as a rural movement that enables farmers to lease their land for solar arrays while continuing to use the land. Much of the practice currently involves livestock grazing, establishing pollinator habitats, and restoring native species.

Researchers have also compiled evidence that certain food crops can grow within appropriately designed solar arrays. New data-driven tools are enabling farmers to assess the balance between solar energy and crop revenues, too (see more solar-plus-farming background here).

The agrivoltaic movement has been expanding in parallel with the community solar trend, which enables local ratepayers to subscribe to solar arrays in or near their neighborhood. Ratepayers can save money on their electricity bills by subscribing to a community solar plan.

It was only a matter of time before community solar stakeholders began to embrace agrivoltaics as a means of providing additional benefits to local residents and businesses — for example, by providing free use of the land for “solar grazing.”

From there, the next step is to incorporate agrivoltaics into urban farms and gardens, and some cities have ample room for both. In Detroit, for example, resiliency and cost-saving goals support the idea of replacing blocks of vacant homes and other derelict properties with solar arrays.

The Detroit Agrivoltaics Plan

Detroit’s “Solar Neighborhood” agrivoltaics program is the result of considerable community input. The initiative aims to generate enough solar electricity on city property to power 127 municipal buildings.

On the crop-raising side, planners note that solar arrays can benefit farmers by reducing evaporatoin from the soil and conserving water. They also cite protection from frost as an additional agricultural benefit.

In 2023, three neighborhoods — Gratiot/Findlay, Van Dyke/Lynch, and State Fair — were selected to participate. Combined, the three neighborhoods will contribute 104 acres of solar arrays to the Solar Neighborhood program.

In addition to participating in site selection, neighborhood organizations held the right to approve the final design for their solar arrays. Each represents a different type of agrivoltaic solution, as described by the mayor’s office:

Gratiot/Findlay will use a combination of decorative fencing, evergreen and ornamental trees along with perennial plantings as a buffer. Residents chose to include agrivoltaics within the solar array. 

Van Dyke/Lynch also will incorporate decorative fencing and a mix of evergreen and ornamental trees as a buffer, as well as perennial gardens and raised beds at key points.  Within the solar array, residents chose to have a manicured meadow of wildflowers and other plants. 

State Fair will incorporate numerous perennial planting areas, along with evergreen and ornamental trees outside a decorative fence as a buffer.  Inside the solar array will be a perimeter of manicured meadows surrounding a core of agrivoltaics.

The solar developer Lightstar Renewables was awarded a contract for the Gratiot/Findlay and State Fair solar arrays, comprising a total of 61 acres. The Michigan utility DTE Electric Company will construct the 43-acre Van Dyke/Lynch array.

Community Engagement And Agrivoltaics

In a press release last year, LightStar described its vision for two Solar Neighborhood sites under its agrivoltaics umbrella. “Potential crops such as lettuce, kale, carrots, and a variety of berries are anticipated to thrive alongside solar panels,” the company enthused.

Lightstar also noted that the Solar Neighborhood program includes energy efficiency upgrades for eligible homeowners in each neighborhood. The company plans to revisit the owners regularly to solicit feedback for future progress.

The community engagement angle is becoming an especially important one for large-scale solar developers. The wave of opposition to rural solar projects has been linked to the circulation of misinformation on social media, but some developers report that laying a firm groundwork for community outreach can overcome that obstacle.

Projects that incorporate agrivoltaics can also attract more community support, but Lightstar indicates that developers are best served when they tailor their solar-plus-farming projects to the community. For the Solar Neighborhood program, Lightstar — which is headquartered in Boston — embarked on its community engagement efforts in partnership with the Detroit urban planning firm JIMA Studio. “With its trailblazing work in landscape architecture and urban planning, JIMA Studio offers a unique approach that centers on the needs and aspirations of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities in Detroit,” Lightstar noted.

 Just The Beginning For Farms In Cities

Cities held firm on global decarbonization and sustainable urban planning during President Trump’s first term in office, and the Solar Neighborhoods initiative demonstrates that cities can still lead the way during his next term, too. Earlier this week, Lightstar celebrated its participation in Phase 2 of the Solar Neighborhoods initiative.

“Building on the success of Phase 1, which brought solar fields to three neighborhoods, Phase 2 introduces 61 acres of solar infrastructure in the Houston-Whittier/Hayes and Greenfield Park neighborhoods,” Lightstar announced, noting that the two new projects bring the total Solar Neighborhoods acreage to 165.

All together, more than 106 local homeowners are now included in the energy efficiency upgrade part of the initiative, each qualifying for at least $15,000 worth of improvements. In this week’s announcement, Lightstar also noted that the Solar Neighborhoods initiative includes stipends and training to support local farmers.

“This achievement is only the beginning,” the company emphasized. “With Phase 2 Solar Neighborhoods underway, Detroit is proving that renewable energy can go hand-in-hand with neighborhood empowerment and economic growth.”

The Solar Neighborhoods initiative provides an interesting complement to the commercial urban farming trend, consisting of vertical farms and other infrastructure-dependent operations. Despite some potential hiccups involving energy use and other costs. some analysts expect the urban farming industry to grow rapidly in the coming years.

In a 2023 global market report, for example, the firm Contrive Datum Insights noted that urban farms are “likely to make more money because more people are learning about nutrition, health, education, and food security and using better ways to make things.” The firm also cited advanced agriculture strategies, among additional factors, along with the demand for fresh, high-quality foods in cities.

Image (cropped) Detroit’s Solar Neighborhoods initiative deploys agrivoltaics to replace blighted properties with solar energy, urban farms, and biodiverdity restoration (courtesy of DTE).