Farming is a high-risk, unpredictable business, and climate change is making it even more challenging due to increasing extreme weather events. But by investing in agrivoltaics—the combination of solar and agriculture, as well as dual land-use projects that combine farms and wind turbines, farmers around the world have new opportunities to grow their businesses while addressing climate change. Amazon is supporting several of these projects as it grows its renewable energy portfolio as part of our Climate Pledge commitment to reach net-zero carbon by 2040.
In Tunica County, Mississippi, third-generation farmer Abbott Myers has diversified his farm’s income by agreeing to host the state’s first wind farm on his land. In Garrard County, Kentucky, Daniel Bell, a sheep rancher and owner of Hazelbrook Farm, has grown his flock and turned his farm into a multi-generational operation by offering grazing services to a nearby solar farm. And, over in Madison County, Ohio, researchers from The Ohio State University are studying how to scale farming alongside large solar energy projects.
Renewable energy projects like these provide benefits not only to farmers, but also to renewable energy developers and the local communities. Some of the benefits include:
  • Farmers: More revenue sources and ecological benefits to their land, such as healthier soil and biodiversity, and an increase in land-use efficiency.
  • Renewable Energy Developers: Unlock land availability challenges when trying to site new solar and wind projects.
  • Local Communities: The projects can generate jobs, tax revenue, and new sources of energy to local communities.

Investments in agrivoltaics & dual land-use projects

As the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy since 2020, Amazon has invested billions of dollars in more than 500 solar and wind projects globally, and is constantly seeking innovative ways to support the development of new energy projects. Amazon has enabled three agrivoltaic farms and one wind farm on agricultural land, which are bringing benefits to growers and local communities around the world.

Page overview

Delta Wind Farm

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Delta Wind Farm
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Turkey Creek Solar Farm
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Madison Fields Solar Project
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Agrivoltaic Park in Sicily
Delta Wind Farm
Farming on Delta Wind site with wind turbines and tractor in agricultural field under cloudy sky

In Tunica County, Mississippi, Amazon has invested in the

project, the state’s first utility-scale wind farm. Developed by AES, the 184 MW project includes 41 wind turbines on 14,000 acres of farmland. Abbott Myers, a third-generation farmer, owns some of that land. He was looking to diversify his farm’s income and turned to renewable energy as a way to do so.

This is a dual-use operation, where the agricultural land will continue to be used for farming rice, soybeans, corn, and wheat under and around the turbines. Not only is the project providing the Myers family additional revenue, it’s also expected to bring tens of millions of dollars in consistent tax revenue to the county and school district.

Turkey Creek Solar Farm
A photo of sheep grazing under panels at Amazon Solar Farm Kentucky–Turkey Creek.

Turkey Creek, a 50 MW solar farm enabled by Amazon, is supporting next-generation sheep farmers in Garrard County, Kentucky. As the state’s first utility-scale solar project, Turkey Creek is also setting the standard for future projects in Kentucky. The project’s developer and long-term owner and operator, Silicon Ranch, is partnering with Daniel Bell, a local sheep rancher and owner of Hazelbrook Farm, to have his sheep graze under the solar panels. The sheep “mow” the grass underneath the solar panels, which helps aerate the soil and prevents vegetation from interfering with energy production.

Silicon Ranch’s Regenerative Energy® approach to land stewardship incorporates adaptive managed livestock grazing and other regenerative land management practices to restore soil health, promote biodiversity, and encourage positive ecological outcomes on the land that it owns. Using sheep instead of mowers also helps cut down fossil fuel emissions and reduces potential damage to solar panels from kicked-up debris.

Daniel Bell has always dreamed of turning his part-time job as a farmer into a full-time job, and wanted his children to have the opportunity to farm as well. Through this collaboration, he’s worked toward tripling the size of his flock to nearly 1,000 sheep and turn his farm into a full-time, multigenerational operation by creating a year-round shepherding job for his son. The family also sells their sheep to a local meat distributor, which is a supplier for Whole Foods Market stores, a grocery chain owned by Amazon.

Madison Fields Solar Project
aerial view of solar panel rows in the madison fields solar project madison county OH

In Madison County, Ohio, we’ve enabled one of the first utility-scale solar projects in the U.S. that is intentionally integrating forage crop production—or crops used as feedstock—between rows of solar panels. Madison Fields Solar Project is a 180 MW project developed and jointly owned by Savion and funds managed by InfraRed Capital Partners with Shell serving as the project’s asset manager.

Through a research partnership with The Ohio State University, Savion is facilitating a study to determine how to scale farming alongside utility-sized solar projects. This includes testing a variety of farming methods to grow crops among the more than 400,000 solar panels.

Female farmer walking through the Madison Fields solar project in Madison County, OH

Hay and alfalfa are currently growing and can be harvested for several years. Soybeans and other trial cover crops have also been planted and will help increase organic matter in the soil. These legumes convert nitrogen gas from the air for the plants to use, reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer. In addition, these crops take nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide out of the air and will help to increase biodiversity, prevent erosion, and control weeds and pests.

Once harvested, the crops will be donated locally or sold, with revenues reinvested into the research. Madison Fields also aims to serve as a resource for the solar industry, providing the knowledge to others hoping to scale this work.

Agrivoltaic Park in Sicily
aerial view of the Mazara del Vallo Agrivoltaic Park, Italy

In Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, Amazon has enabled Italy’s largest active agrivoltaic park, developed by ENGIE, procuring 40 MW of solar energy. Native plants—such as almond, olive, and lavender trees—as well as aromatic and medicinal crops—are being grown between the bifacial solar panels. These state-of-the-art double-sided solar panels capture both direct and reflected light from the surrounding fields, enabling more energy generation.

This project, which sits on 115 hectares (nearly 37 acres), will help preserve the rural landscape and biodiversity, while also bringing jobs to local farmers involved in the cultivation.

As energy demands continue to rise in many parts of the world, Amazon is committed to innovating and collaborating with communities and energy stakeholders to support the transition to carbon-free energy and power our business with sustainability in mind. Learn more.