Connecticut's New Agrivoltaics Law
What It Means for Eastford's Agricultural Future
Eastford is one of Connecticut’s most rural communities. Its working farms, forests, and open fields contribute not only to the local economy, but also to the town’s historic character and scenic landscape. While solar projects and agriculture have seemed like competing land uses in the past, a new solar law aims to bring them together in an innovative way. Rather than viewing farming and solar energy as competing land uses, the new agrivoltaics program enables agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land. As Connecticut seeks to meet growing electricity demand while controlling costs and preserving its agricultural heritage, the state’s new solar legislation marks an important policy shift.
The Connecticut General Assembly recently passed, and Gov. Ned Lamont signed on June 4, H.B. 5340, An Act Concerning Renewable Power Generation. The law establishes new programs, regulatory requirements, and study mandates intended to advance Connecticut’s renewable energy goals. Although most of the media attention on this new law has focused on plug-in solar systems (that is, individual solar panels that can simply be plugged into an electrical outlet, and which are very attractive to apartment dwellers and homeowners who just want a little relief from their electricity bills), H.B. 5340 is much broader in scope. Of particular interest to Eastford landowners is the new mandate for the state to create an “agrivoltaics” program, which aims to help working farmland generate solar energy in a way that fits in with its traditional agricultural usage.
Because much of Eastford remains agricultural, any proposal for utility-scale solar has the potential to generate significant public interest. In Connecticut, rural residents often support renewable energy conceptually, but also express concern about preserving productive farmland and maintaining the town’s rural character. Agrivoltaics offer a potential compromise. Properly designed projects could provide farmers with additional income while allowing agricultural production to continue. This supplemental revenue may help family farms remain financially viable during periods of fluctuating commodity prices and increasing operating costs.
While the concept of agrivoltaics combines agriculture and solar generation on the same property, it could work in different ways across farms — for example, by grazing sheep beneath solar panels or growing certain crops around solar installations. For Eastford landowners with active farmland, this could eventually create opportunities to generate income from solar while maintaining agricultural use. The details still need to be developed by state agencies, but it signals Connecticut’s interest in encouraging solar projects that preserve working farms rather than converting farmland entirely to energy production.
For rural communities such as Eastford, where agriculture remains an important part of the town’s identity and economy, the legislation offers both opportunities and challenges. While agrivoltaics presents opportunities, successful implementation depends on careful planning. Not every crop performs well beneath solar panels, and system designs must allow adequate sunlight, equipment access, and drainage. Rural communities will also need to evaluate visual impacts, construction traffic, stormwater management, and compatibility with neighboring properties. Maintaining genuine agricultural production — not simply placing a few animals on a solar site — will be essential if agrivoltaics are to achieve their intended purpose.
As the new law is implemented, Eastford’s farmers, residents, and local officials will play an important role in determining how agrivoltaics will be part of the town’s future. For Eastford, this could create an opportunity to shape future development in ways that reflect local values. By encouraging thoughtfully designed agrivoltaic projects that protect prime farmland, the town can support clean energy without sacrificing the agricultural landscape that has defined the community for generations.
By extending solar programs, streamlining permitting, and exploring new approaches such as agrivoltaics, the new solar law lays the groundwork for Connecticut’s renewable energy policies through 2035. It will be worth watching how these changes affect homeowners, farmers, and communities like Eastford in the years ahead.
