May 1, 2026
Solar energy owner and operator Silicon Ranch has launched its CattleTracker technology platform, advertised as the first “commercially viable rotational grazing technology designed to integrate livestock farming with utility-scale solar energy.”
Touted as a huge step forward in the agricultural market, the technology officially went live at the Christiana Solar Ranch in Tennessee in late April. The technology aims to produce both renewable energy and regenerative grazing results that are good for the animal, the land and for solar energy generation.
“CattleTracker was born at the intersection of American energy, American manufacturing and American agriculture – all areas under enormous pressure to evolve and grow in this country,” said Reagan Farr, co-founder and CEO of Silicon Ranch. “We have long believed that doing what is good for our country, our power 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 making this happen, and I am confident it will bring many benefits to the surrounding community and broader region for a long time to come.”
The company is funded and built by Silicon Ranch and will continue to own and operate the Volunteer State location. The site will provide immediate service Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE)which is partnering with Silicon Ranch for a power purchase agreement for the renewables.
From there, MTE will use the energy generated to benefit more than 750,000 Tennesseans who have chosen its services.
Realizing the agrivoltaic dream on a large scale
CattleTracker’s research team has been conducting field work in anticipation of this project since 2023, the company says. Now the team gets the chance to put its findings into practice.
Dr. Anna Clare Monlezun, Founder of Graze LLC, La Dolce Vita Ranchand member of the CattleTracker research team, says the new technology holds great promise for the agrivoltaic market. Perhaps more importantly, she says the platform puts “real-world validation” into practice and provides proof-of-concept at a commercial scale.
“At the Christiana Solar Farm we demonstrate that a thoughtfully designed solar infrastructure can support normal and healthy beef cattle behavior, align with animal welfare standards, improve land management, and at the same time provide reliable energy,” says Monlezun. “This project provides an important foundation for continued transdisciplinary research into how regenerative grazing and energy production can successfully coexist.”
Monlezun says there have been attempts to accommodate grazing livestock in solar projects before, both in the US and elsewhere. The difference here, however, is that Christiana will be the first project of this scale anywhere in the world to combine a livestock farm with a commercial solar energy facility.
“Seeing cattle graze on open land has always been part of who we are; it represents hard work, tradition and pride in our community,” said Chris Jones, president and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric. “Seeing those same pastures next to American-made solar panels shows how we can honor that heritage while building the future. This unique project does more than generate much-needed electricity for our service area; it showcases a technology that supports local agriculture and helps put food on the table.”
Tags: agrivoltaic energy, CattleTracker, commercial and industrial, project, tracking, utility scale
