With ‘Agrivoltaics,’ Farmers Can Grow Both Food and Energy

By Lilyana Gabrielse and Jenn Tribble

Visitors to Roundabout Meadows farm in rural Virginia are greeted by rows of tomatoes, squash, peppers, eggplants and leafy greens. But not long ago, this land faced a very different future.

As northern Virginia’s Loudoun County expanded, the property was slated for housing and retail development. Instead, the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC), a local organization, stepped in to protect the landscape, preserving 172 acres and creating Roundabout Meadows, now home to an 8-acre community farm. The decision was celebrated by nearby residents, conservation advocates, and visitors who value northern Virginia’s rural character.

Although Roundabout Meadows itself is relatively new, it is rooted in a region shaped by generations of farming, livestock grazing, viticulture and wildlife stewardship. Four staff members and hundreds of volunteers cultivate healthy soils and grow vegetables using sustainable practices. Almost everything harvested is donated to local food pantries and hunger relief organizations, amounting to nearly 240,000 pounds of fresh produce since 2019. 

Roundabout Meadows is doing something else impressive as well: generating clean, affordable power through an emerging practice known as “agrivoltaics.”