Faculty at the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois have studied the application of solar generation of power on agricultural land, termed “agrivoltaics”. Investigations include the restraints associated with installation of solar panels on land that would otherwise be used for cultivation of crops. There is considerable resistance to locating solar arrays on arable land especially in areas that support high yields correlating to elevated land values.  The recent study considered raising livestock as a compatible farming practice with agrivoltaics.  Small ruminants including sheep and goats can graze around solar panels maintaining vegetation without damaging installations. 

Depending on state or local laws, farmland converted to solar generation, may be declassified as agricultural and may be rezoned, generating a higher tax rate. 

If solar arrays are compatible with small ruminants, it is more than possible that land can support free-range chickens that would benefit from shelter while enjoying the space requirements mandated for pastured management.