RUTE SunTracker Commissions First Grid Connected Cattle + Solar Project

dougkrause
12 minutes ago
2 min read

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE

An Angus ranch in Southern Oregon is hosting RUTE SunTracker’s first commercial cattle + solar project, marking a major milestone for the company’s patented cable-stayed solar technology. The 120 kW, one-acre solar array is the first commercial installation of RUTE’s high-clearance, cattle-compatible tracker system. RUTE sells the hardware, but also acts as the developer of the first regional demonstrations of cattle + solar.

With 10 feet of head clearance, 16 feet max height, throughout the array, the system allows for full cattle grazing, and pasture management beneath the panels. The generation facility is interconnected to the Pacific Power grid in Jackson County, Oregon.

RUTE President Doug Krause announced the Craft3 Bank project financing milestone at the 2024 World Agrivoltaic Conference in Denver, during a panel on solar grazing.

Pairing cattle and solar generation has become a global priority as demand for clean energy increases alongside land-use constraints. In the United States alone, 30 gigawatts of new solar capacity installed last year covered approximately 150,000 acres. At the same time, the country has nearly 120 million acres of cattle pasture, much of it experiencing increasing heat and water stress.

Agrivoltaic systems offer a solution. By integrating solar into pastureland, ranchers can add a second revenue stream while improving forage conditions through partial shading.

“Within weeks of installing the RUTE canopy, the crew observed leafier forage and increased legume presence inside the array compared to outside,” said Krause. “Even on irrigated pasture, direct summer sun can be too intense.”

RUTE’s development has been supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy’s American-Made Solar Prize and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In October, Oregon State University’s Agrivoltaics Program—a global leader in solar-agriculture research—began quantitative pasture production studies at the site. The research is led by Dr. Serkan Ates, a recognized expert in pasture management.

Next Steps

This winter, the RUTE team will show at cattlemen’s association meetings, seeking ranch partners with on-site electric loads such as irrigation pivot systems. “In the near term, our focus is on regional, behind-the-meter installations so ranchers and power producers can see the equipment operating in real conditions,” said Krause. “While interconnection timelines are long, these projects allow us to build momentum as we connect with developers and ranches on utility-scale pipeline.”

About RUTE SunTracker

RUTE SunTracker is a high-clearance, cable-stayed solar tracker system and a division of RUTE Foundation Systems, Inc. The cable trellis technology was piloted at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota in 2023. RUTE SunTracker provides power producers and general contractors with a cost-efficient construction solution that requires no trenching, bulldozing, pile driving, or heavy equipment.