The Future of Solar and Farming
The author is a senior at North Judson-San Pierre High School in North Judson, Indiana.
Before attending the 2025 Agrivoltaics Solar Farm Summit, I knew very little about the solar industry—other than the fact that it tends to spark strong opinions in my community. What I didn’t know was that over 10,000 companies are involved in solar across the United States. That surprising fact was just the first of many eye-opening lessons I took away from the conference.
On Thursday, August 12, my marketing class traveled to the summit to present our projects for the Dual-Use Design Challenge. This three-day event was designed to share knowledge, inspire new ideas, and show how solar energy can work hand-in-hand with agriculture. According to the summit’s website, the challenge aims to “inspire the next generation of pioneers and innovators at the intersection of energy, agriculture, and environment.” Our class had taken on the challenge as our semester final at North Judson-San Pierre High School, and most of us were honored to be chosen as finalists.
Finalists from North Judson-San Pierre High School. Provided photo.
In Starke County, solar energy is far from a neutral topic. Supporters see it as a step toward clean energy and economic opportunity, while others worry about losing farmland, reducing crop production, and disrupting local traditions. Growing up in a farming community, I’d mostly heard the skeptical side of the conversation. But the summit gave me a chance to hear voices from both perspectives—and to understand the reasoning behind them.
For the competition, my partner, Grason McDaniel, and I proposed something a little different: fish hatcheries beneath solar panels. Our design used solar-powered feeders and aerators to raise fish while following the motto “Indiana fish for Indiana markets” to reduce the risk of disease from imported fish. It was our way of showing how energy and agriculture could work together in new ways. While our idea didn’t take first place, the process taught us more than we expected—not only about technology, but also about collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving.
Chaffins and McDaniels’ idea involved placing fish hatcheries beneath solar panels. Provided image.
The creativity among the other finalists from our class was equally inspiring. One team envisioned deploying robots in agrivoltaic fields to take on planting, weeding, crop monitoring, and even solar panel maintenance. Another student designed an educational workshop to introduce younger children to the concept of agrivoltaics—a project that ultimately claimed first place in the high school division. That victory was shared in a tie with a proposal focused on enhancing crop data collection through advanced testing and monitoring devices. The runner-up spot went to an ambitious “tri-usage” sustainability model, integrating vertical plant cultivation with pig farming to maximize land use and resource efficiency.
By the end of the summit, I walked away with more than just facts and design feedback. I left with a deeper, more balanced understanding of solar energy—its potential, its challenges, and its place in conversations about the future of agriculture. What began as a school project ended as an experience that broadened my perspective, and I now see the solar debate in my community with far more nuance than before.
