Navajo agrivoltaics takes shape
Emiliano McLane, a research science associate at New Mexico State University, studies agrivoltaics, a system that integrates solar energy production with food cultivation.”
Submitted | Emiliano McLane
Through food deserts and energy challenges, a quiet revolution is taking root where traditional farming meets modern solar technology. Across the Four Corners, researchers and farmers are testing a system called agrivoltaics that combines crop cultivation with solar energy production as a path toward food independence.
A beginner agrivoltaics setup uses recycled solar panels and planter boxes to test small-scale energy and food production.
Submitted | Ozzy Shirley
Emiliano McLane, a recent graduate of New Mexico State University, has been at the forefront of this movement in New Mexico. McLane is of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone and the Tosawihi. He is also of Wailaki, Nomlaki, and Coahuiltecan descent. His research represents the first known formal study of agrivoltaics specifically for Navajo communities. “When we surveyed one hundred twenty-four Indigenous farmers, only six percent had heard of agrivoltaics,” McLane said. “But after we explained it as a food-energy-water system, eighty-eight percent said they were interested.”
Solar panels shade crops while generating power, creating an efficient agrivoltaics system that helps small-scale farms in Arizona and New Mexico grow plants that would otherwise struggle under the desert sun.
Submitted | Ozzy Shirley
McLane’s work at NMSU’s Agricultural Science Center began with small garden boxes holding different types of solar panels. Early tests with radishes and cilantro showed promise. Now, he’s preparing larger studies with traditional crops. “We’re looking at Navajo squash, blue corn and Navajo tea, all plants that matter to our communities,” he explained.
To read the full article, please see the Aug. 21, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
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