Jordan Energy and American Farmland Trust Partner to Advance Smart Solar
(Troy, NY) American Farmland Trust (AFT) will partner with Jordan Energy to promote Smart SolarSM principles, which aim to safeguard land well-suited for farming and ranching, strengthen farm viability, and accelerate farmer-first solar energy development. Through this partnership, AFT and Jordan Energy will implement these principles to ensure farms and ranches can access affordable on-farm energy solutions.
As solar energy deployment expands to meet America’s growing energy needs, AFT takes a holistic approach centered on farm viability and a recognition that over 80% of solar energy projects could be sited on agricultural land. In response, AFT launched the Smart Solar Initiative in 2021 to provide research, policy recommendations, and direct engagement with farmers, solar developers, and policymakers.
"Jordan Energy & Food Enterprises is thrilled to be partnered with American Farmland Trust,” stated Bill Jordan, the company's founder and CEO. "Our primary core value is to develop solar + storage projects in ways that strengthen family farms. Except in the case of agrivoltaics, avoiding the use of prime farmland for solar is another core value we share with AFT. For over 16 years, we have seen how solar and storage have been an intelligent diversification for so many of our farm partners. Farmers of today and tomorrow are and will be producing both nutritious food and clean energy."
AFT and Jordan Energy will seek opportunities to implement solar for on-farm energy loads and agrivoltaics, which is the integration of solar energy production with crop production and/or livestock grazing. Agrivoltaics can provide mutually beneficial outcomes for farmers, ranchers, and the local power grid. Research shows this land use strategy has the potential to conserve water, protect crops and livestock from extreme weather, and significantly increase farm incomes.
“There has never been a more important time to help producers manage rising energy costs through farmer-centered solar designed to support and enhance the viability of farms and agricultural businesses. We look forward to working with Jordan Energy to expand the use of agrivoltaics in solar development,” said Ethan Winter, AFT’s National Smart Solar Director. “This is another step forward in our goal to support renewable energy and help America’s farms and ranches thrive.”
America needs both renewable energy and resilient farms, and collaborations like these may help achieve these equally important goals. For more information on AFT’s Smart Solar initiative, visit www.farmland.org/solar.
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About American Farmland Trust
American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms No Food® message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.
About Jordan Energy
Jordan Energy empowers progress through sustainable energy solutions. To accomplish this, Jordan Energy provides best-in-class, comprehensive solutions that enable customers to harness the power of the sun and other sustainable resources. Jordan Energy also helps share these resources and bring light to underdeveloped communities throughout the world through its Let’s Share the Sun Foundation.
