Solar Grazing Saves Failing Farms: The Agri-Energy Revolution

#316 Rebekah Pierce runs a regenerative sheep farm in upstate New York and has cracked the code on making solar farms work for agriculture. Her new book "Agri Energy" reveals how combining solar panels with farming creates a win for developers, farmers, and rural communities.The land use math is stunning. The US dedicates 30 million acres to growing corn for ethanol fuel. Solar panels are 100 times more efficient at converting land into energy. We need just 1% of US land (23 million acres) to supply all our electricity with solar alone. Converting those ethanol acres to dual-use solar could power 100% of electricity needs AND a nationwide EV fleet.Rebekah Pierce is the author of "Agri Energy" (Island Press, November 2025) and owner of JR Pierce Family Farm in Clinton County, New York. She started with backyard chickens in 2015 and now grazes sheep across half a dozen solar projects in three counties. She writes about regenerative agriculture, solar grazing, and the intersection of farming and renewable energy.Key Discussion Points:Why corn-to-ethanol uses massive land area with terrible efficiency (100 to 200x worse than solar)How solar grazing cuts O&M costs for developers while creating farmer incomeThe real threat to farmland: urbanization takes far more land than solar ever will100,000 farms lost between 2011-2018 as average farmer age hits 58Technical requirements: water access, secure fencing, interior paddocks for rotational grazingTopsoil loss: one pound per bushel of corn producedResources: American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA) and REFA (Renewable Energy Farmers of America)The book covers far more than sheep and solar. Rebekah researched all the ways agriculture and renewables intersect, from wind farms to battery storage to elevated tracking systems for larger livestock.Connect with Rebekah Pierce Website: www.jrpiercefamilyfarm.com/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rebekah-pierce-writer/Book: "Agri Energy" available November 2025 on Amazon and Island Presshttps://islandpress.org/books/agri-energy#desc Support the showConnect with Tim  Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTubeTim on TwitterTim on LinkedIn Email [email protected] Review Clean Power Hour on Apple PodcastsThe Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email:  [email protected] sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems.  Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com