March 4th, 2025
By Rachel Rondeau
Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company and American Farmland Trust Partner to Advance Smart Solar Development
Collaboration aims to support farmers, protect farmland, and promote sustainable energy solutions
(Washington, DC) American Farmland Trust (AFT) is proud to announce its partnership with Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company (Greenbacker), an energy transition-focused investment manager and independent power producer, to promote Smart Solar development that balances renewable energy growth with farmland protection and long-term agricultural viability.
With the engagement and support of Greenbacker and other experienced solar sector experts, AFT advances Smart Solar principles centered on solar energy development that safeguards soil health, reduces conversion of agricultural land, and strengthens the viability of local farms.
“AFT’s Smart Solar principles provide a roadmap for demonstrating how solar energy and agriculture can not only coexist but thrive together,” said Matt Murphy, Chief Operating Officer of Greenbacker. “As we expand clean energy infrastructure, it’s critical that we work alongside farmers and rural communities to create opportunities that preserve land, support agricultural economies, and advance sustainability.”
AFT launched its Smart Solar Initiative in 2021 to provide research, policy recommendations, and direct engagement with farmers, solar developers, and policymakers. The initiative prioritizes solar siting on land less suited for agriculture, promotes agrivoltaic systems that integrate solar panels with crop production or grazing, and advocates for policies that support both renewable energy growth and farm viability.
“Greenbacker’s clean energy projects and energy transition investments align with AFT’s mission to protect agricultural land and keep farmers on their land,” said Nathan L’Etoile, AFT’s Farm Viability Managing Director. “By working together, we can guide solar development in a way that addresses climate change while also benefiting both farmers and the sustainable energy sector.”
“Partnering with AFT to sustain farming communities and support local farmers–who are often the best stewards of the land–can easily be a triple bottom line win for solar project owner-operators like Greenbacker,” said Shannon Scarbrough, Greenbacker’s Senior Manager of Land Management & Agrivoltaics. “Solar energy is not only vital for meeting our country’s power needs and clean energy goals, it also presents landowners and farmers with a valuable opportunity for an additional stable income stream through long-term lease payments or, for tenant farmers, by unlocking access to land that might otherwise be out of reach.”
Greenbacker is committed to empowering a sustainable world by connecting individuals and institutions with investments in clean energy. As of September 30, 2024, the company’s fleet of clean energy projects has produced over 10 million megawatt-hours of clean energy, abated more than 7 million metric tons of carbon, and supported thousands of green jobs.
America needs both renewable energy and thriving farms, and collaborations like these are key to achieving these equally important goals. For more information on AFT’s Smart Solar initiative, visit www.farmland.org/solar.
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 Greenbacker
Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC is a publicly reporting, non-traded limited liability sustainable infrastructure company that both acquires and manages income-producing renewable energy and other energy-related businesses, including solar and wind farms, and provides asset management services to other renewable energy investment vehicles. We seek to acquire and operate high-quality projects that sell clean power under long-term contracts to high-creditworthy counterparties such as utilities, municipalities, and corporations. We are long-term owner-operators, who strive to be good stewards of the land and responsible members of the communities in which we operate. Greenbacker conducts its asset management business through its wholly owned subsidiary, Greenbacker Capital Management, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. We believe our focus on power production and asset management creates value that we can then pass on to our shareholders—while facilitating the transition toward a clean energy future. For more information, please visit https://greenbackercapital.com.