Rivian is Committed to Cleaner, More Affordable Energy

We teamed up with Pivot Energy, a solar developer, whose unique approach to land management is helping farmers in our backyard of Illinois access new economic opportunities with renewable energy.

America’s energy grid is more secure when we rely on a diverse supply of domestically sourced energy. Solar projects not only provide reliable, homegrown energy, they are also one of the lowest-cost sources of energy and can create new revenue streams for community members when developed intentionally.

To build new ground-mounted solar farms, Pivot identifies viable land that supports a secondary agricultural use, a practice known as agrivoltaics. That means turning to local farmers for long-lasting land leases and impactful partnerships.

Putting agrivoltaics into practice allows energy production and agriculture to work in partnership to improve the land, generate income for farmers, and decrease the cost of solar energy. Pivot’s best practices in land-stewardship and commitment to 100% of their projects having this dual-use purpose are helping restore soil quality, increase ecosystem functioning, and create pollinator habitats under the solar panels in rural communities across the USA.

Going a step further, Pivot plants native seeds on their sites to support soil health, prevent erosion, and encourage pollinators. These native plants need to be managed properly, so the grasses and plant life don’t become overgrown and shade the solar panels. Instead of using traditional methods that rely on mechanical mowers, Pivot deploys solar grazing at 98% of their sites across the country. Solar grazing is a practice of hiring local farmers to release flocks of sheep on solar fields to feed on grasses during the growing season.

“We’re going beyond vegetation management just for the sake of compliance and just for checking a box to keep all this beautiful vegetation from shading the solar panels,” says Angie Burke, Director of Operations and Maintenance at Pivot.

Brooke and Chauncey Watson own and operate Watson Farms in DeKalb, Illinois and work with Pivot on a few projects in the state. “It’s incredible how much they recognize that sheep are part of the design of their solar site,” Brooke says. “They invest in farm viability by working with local producers like ourselves to help us diversify our farm income. … It gives us a new revenue stream that allows our farm to keep going for the next generation.”

“It increases the value of the farm almost instantly when the solar farm is there,” shares Jerry Alexander from Bourbonnais, Illinois who is a local landowner, farmer, and long-term Pivot partner.

“These sites are hard to mow. The sheep do a great job at it,” says Chauncey Watson. “Sheep do not back into panels. Sheep do not throw rocks up and hit panels. The sheep do a pretty good job of leaving everything alone but the grass.”

Having native plants in tandem with sheep on the land creates a system of regenerative agriculture.

“The great part about this is it’s the intersection of agriculture and energy production,” says Brooke Watson. “So we bring in the sheep to manage the vegetation. But at the same time, they’re also adding nutrients back to the soil, which helps the biodiversity of the site, helps the soil health.”

The practice of solar grazing directly involves farmers in helping ensure the success of local renewable energy production while also contributing to improving the land.

“We recognize that we’re stewards of the land as the farmers. And so we’re really proud that our sheep can help contribute to the success of not just the land, but the solar production of the site as well.”

– Brooke Watson, Watson Farms

Supporting the resilience and affordability of our nation’s energy is essential to Rivian’s mission, and we’re committed to demonstrating that it can be done responsibly, providing financial and ecological benefits for communities and the environment.

“For too long, businesses have been presented with a false choice between the bottom line and driving positive impact for climate, communities, and conservation. The reality is, renewable energy from solar and wind are the most cost-effective and quickest to deploy energy source available today,” said Andrew Peterman, Director of Advanced Energy Solutions at Rivian. “Projects like this are a testament to the fact that investing in the future of our energy grid – one that is more affordable, more reliable, and cleaner – will serve as the foundation to accelerate the massive EV adoption we expect to see in the coming years.”

Our customers have shared that they value making every charge 100% powered by renewable energy. That’s why we’re empowering our owners to be a vital part of a cleaner, more reliable American energy grid. From the moment your Rivian is built at our Normal, IL manufacturing plant, its first charge comes from our on-site wind turbine and solar charge yard. We go even further by matching the first 10,000 miles of every Rivian delivered with 100% renewable energy, ensuring every adventure is contributing to a cleaner grid, no matter where you charge. And as always, the Rivian Adventure Network will continue to deliver 100% renewable energy.

Rivian is highly selective when deciding which energy developers we partner with by using the 3C’s toolkit we developed with The Nature Conservancy. This exercise helps identify potential partners that are competitive both financially by supplying clean energy at affordable rates, and have business practices that drive positive benefits in the areas of community, climate, and conservation. Pivot is a fantastic example of the type of developer we chose to work with.

These positive impacts are being felt now by people who live in the area of responsible clean energy projects, while the entire country benefits from a grid that is just a little bit more diverse and less carbon-intensive.