Silicon Ranch, owner and operator of one of the nation’s largest fleets of solar facilities and a community-focused energy infrastructure company, officially launched its breakthrough CattleTracker™ energy and cattle grazing technology today on the Christiana Solar Ranch in Middle Tennessee. The landmark facility represents the first-ever commercial deployment of Silicon Ranch’s patented cattle-compatible agrivoltaics platform, designed to produce renewable energy and regenerative grazing outcomes on the same property in a way that is good for solar generation, good for the land, and good for the animal.
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Cattle graze under solar panels at Silicon Ranch’s Christiana Solar Ranch, home to the company’s patented CattleTracker™ platform—the world’s first commercially viable rotational grazing technology designed to integrate cattle farming with utility-scale solar.
Silicon Ranch funded, built, and will own, operate and maintain the facility in Christiana, which is in the service territory of Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE). MTE is partnering with Silicon Ranch to purchase the power and environmental attributes generated by the facility—realizing savings on day one of operation—to benefit the more than 750,000 Tennesseans the cooperative serves across 11 counties. MTE is the largest electric cooperative in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in the United States.
Leadership from Silicon Ranch and MTE were joined by local officials, animal science and ecosystem researchers, as well as agricultural and conservation groups for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the pioneering development and to celebrate the important milestone in the emerging field of agrivoltaics.
While grazing beef cattle under or near solar panels has been attempted in smaller research projects, both in the United States and abroad, the Christiana Solar Ranch will be the first project of its size in the world to co-locate a legitimate cattle ranching operation with a commercially viable solar energy infrastructure facility. This unique combination was made possible by a multi-year research effort led by Silicon Ranch that resulted in two patents being awarded to the company. Silicon Ranch Chief Technology Officer Nick de Vries served as Principal Investigator for the research and led the development of a novel tracking system that is designed and engineered to move into “grazing” mode to allow cattle to safely graze and move beneath the panels.
Christiana is a proof of concept for Nashville-based Silicon Ranch that underscores how a thoughtful approach to solar development and land use can provide solutions for the American cattle industry similar to those it is already delivering for the American sheep industry through its nationally acclaimed Regenerative Energy® agribusiness. And it can do so at wholesale energy pricing, ensuring that this patented innovation to support agriculture still delivers value to American energy ratepayers.
The CattleTracker project uses materials and technology Made in the U.S.A. Silicon Ranch has a long-standing commitment—going back to its founding more than 15 years ago—to leverage its buying power to help bolster American manufacturing and onshore every element of the solar energy supply chain. This stimulus for regional economic development includes partnerships with First Solar, which recently opened a solar panel manufacturing plant in northern Alabama, and Nextpower which manufactures the low-carbon steel components for the trackers used on the CattleTracker site at its Memphis, Tennessee, manufacturing facility.
“CattleTracker was born at the intersection of American energy, American manufacturing, and American farming—all areas that are under tremendous pressure to evolve and grow in this country,” said Silicon Ranch co-founder and CEO Reagan Farr. “We have long believed that doing what’s right for our country, our grid, and our economy can also benefit our land, our animals, and our farmers. The innovation we celebrate today represents the tangible application of that belief and our commitment to make it possible, and I am confident it will yield many benefits for the surrounding community and wider region for a long time to come.”
“As a researcher, what’s most exciting about CattleTracker is that it brings rigor and real‑world validation to agrivoltaics at a commercial scale,” said Dr. Anna Clare Monlezun, Founder of Graze, LLC, La Dolce Vita Ranch, and a member of the CattleTracker research team. “At the Christiana Solar Farm, we’re demonstrating that thoughtfully designed solar infrastructure can support normal, healthy beef cattle behavior, align with animal welfare standards, and enhance land stewardship while also delivering reliable energy. This project provides an important foundation for continued transdisciplinary research into how regenerative grazing and energy production can successfully coexist.”
“Seeing cattle grazing on open land has always been part of who we are—it represents hard work, tradition and pride in our community. Now, seeing those same pastures alongside American made solar panels shows how we can honor that heritage while building for the future. This first-of-its-kind project is doing more than generating much-needed electricity for our service area—it’s proving a technology that supports local agriculture and helps put food on the table,” said Middle Tennessee Electric President and CEO Chris Jones. “At MTE, we’re proud to bring this kind of innovative solution to our members—combining reliable, affordable energy with the values that matter most to the communities we serve.”
As the long-term owner of both the energy infrastructure and the underlying property, Silicon Ranch has long taken a thoughtful approach to stewardship of the land it owns through its Regenerative Energy land stewardship program. In addition to rotational grazing of sheep and now cattle, Regenerative Energy practices improve the quality of land and nurture the soil by promoting deep-rooted, multi-species grasses and pollinator habitat under and around the solar array—while creating new opportunities for family farms and aspiring farmers who may not have adequate access to land to grow, or even start, their agricultural operations.
The CattleTracker research team has been performing field work since 2023 and has published its findings in leading academic journals. Led by Silicon Ranch, the world-class research team includes representatives from Graze, Quanterra Systems, Colorado State University, and White Oak Pastures. Additional support was provided by an advisory committee that includes representatives from the National Laboratory of the Rockies, DNV, University of Georgia, Michigan State University, Standard Soil & Blue Nest Beef, and the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA). To learn more about the project and access the research, please visit siliconranch.com/cattletracker.
About Silicon Ranch
Founded in 2011, Silicon Ranch is a fully integrated provider of customized solar energy, battery storage, and carbon solutions. The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the U.S., with a portfolio that includes more than eight gigawatts of solar and battery storage systems that are contracted, under construction, or operating across the U.S. and Canada. Silicon Ranch owns and operates every project in its portfolio and has maintained an unrivalled track record of project execution. Silicon Ranch has the largest wholly owned agrivoltaics portfolio in the country under Regenerative Energy®, its nationally recognized agribusiness and holistic approach to project design, construction, and land stewardship. This model incorporates regenerative ranching and other regenerative land stewardship practices to restore soil health, promote biodiversity, and improve water quality. Silicon Ranch’s carbon solutions platform, Clearloop®, helps businesses of all sizes reclaim their carbon footprint by commissioning new solar projects in American communities where significant economic and environmental benefits can be achieved. Follow Silicon Ranch on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About Middle Tennessee Electric
Founded in 1936, MTE is the largest electric cooperative in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in the United States, serving more than 750,000 Tennesseans via 360,000+ accounts covering nearly 2,200 square miles in 11 Middle Tennessee counties, primarily Rutherford, Cannon, Williamson and Wilson. Municipalities served include Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood, Smyrna, La Vergne, Lebanon and Mt. Juliet. MTE employs around 540 people in six local offices and its Murfreesboro headquarters.
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