When Byron Kominek took over his grandfather's farm in 2016, he had little agricultural knowledge but knew he needed to start generating income.
As KSJD detailed, installing an array of solar panels was the answer, but the idea of passively earning money while utilizing the sun to create energy had additional benefits that helped with other aspects of farm life.
Those panels provided much-needed shade, allowing for sheep, ducks, and geese to graze, and young seedlings to stay out of the sun's harsh glare. Meanwhile, the protection from the sun allowed workers to do their jobs more comfortably — with temperatures 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler under the panels — and soil was able to retain water more effectively.
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Heck yes 😎 At Jack's Solar Garden, named after Kominek's grandfather, 3,276 panels generate enough power to serve 300 homes, all while livestock is supported and crops like corn, radishes, and salad greens can be grown. From electricity generation alone, Kominek earns around $20,000 per year.
It's clear why agrivoltaics — the combination of agriculture and solar power generation — is becoming a viable land-use option for farmers. Being able to make money in multiple ways from their acreage, and doing so in a harmonious way with traditional farming practices, is a win-win when times are getting tougher for farmers up and down the country.
Doing so while reducing water usage and creating renewable power that reduces reliance on dirty fuels for energy — which, when burned, create planet-warming gases that encourage temperatures to rise and make farming more challenging — are further victories.
"We need more examples," Kominek told KSJD. "If there's just one in the country, it's easy to dismiss, but when there's thousands of them, people are more able to go out, learn about it, and figure out how they can do it."
Denver experienced its second-hottest summer on record in 2024, demonstrating the need for farmers to adapt to a changing climate. But adaptation is only one part of the wider puzzle, with pollution reduction also essential to slow the rate of planetary warming.
Generating solar energy is one way to do so, but farmers are also looking to electric tools, machinery, and vehicles rather than gas-guzzling alternatives, while regenerative agriculture is also helping to make the most of soil, benefit ecosystems, and reduce water and pesticide use.
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