Agrivoltaics pitched to Pueblo County as a way to preserve farmland while expanding solar

Allison Jackson, education and policy manager for the Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center, told the Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 4 that agrivoltaics — combining solar panels with agricultural uses — can help preserve farmland and add local economic opportunities as Colorado expands utility‑scale solar.

Jackson said Colorado saw roughly $643,000,000 in solar investment last year and has more than 4.5 gigawatts of installed capacity, with over a quarter of that capacity located in Pueblo County. She cited an American Farmland Trust projection that Pueblo County could lose an estimated 15,000–20,000 acres of productive farmland over the next 15 years and argued agrivoltaics can help maintain agricultural heritage while delivering renewable energy.

Jackson described multiple agrivoltaic practices that have been used elsewhere: raising panels so people and larger animals can operate beneath them, planting market gardens under arrays, installing pollinator habitat, and using grazing animals to manage vegetation and build soil health. She pointed to Jack's Solar Garden in Longmont as a local example: the site raised most panels to about 6 feet and some to 8 feet to allow taller crops and livestock access. Jackson said raising panels at that site added roughly 5% to construction costs compared with typical lower-mounted arrays.

On water use and productivity, Jackson referenced a University of Arizona report showing comparable crop yields with roughly half the irrigation in some agrivoltaic configurations. She also said Jack's Solar Garden recorded about 20% more forage in agrivoltaic plots during a dry year. Jackson emphasized design details — panel spacing, raised mounts, wire management and limiting grading during construction — as decisive for long‑term soil health and operational success.

Commissioners and staff asked whether existing arrays can be retrofitted. Jackson described a program called Salsa that seeks to match farmers without land access to existing solar arrays and said modest retrofits can enable grazing or small‑scale cultivation, though larger productivity gains require early design planning.

Jackson also described code and permitting guidance the Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center published this summer, including model definitions, design standards, suggested plan requirements (farm preservation plans, electrical and stormwater planning) and potential local incentives, such as lower permitting thresholds or reduced setbacks for agrivoltaics versus conventional solar projects. She encouraged staff to review the guidance and offered the center as a resource for landowners approached by solar developers.

Jackson closed by inviting county staff and residents to the organization's web resources and said the center is available for follow‑up questions and technical assistance. The BOCC followed with a series of supportive remarks and questions about next steps, retrofit feasibility and how local permitting or incentives might be shaped to encourage agrivoltaic designs.