Sunlight Never Looked So Bright
We’re Changing Ranchers’ Relationship with the Sun
Generate Reliable, Passive Income
Turn your property’s annual sunlight exposure into dependable revenue
No-Hassle Setup Process
We manage the construction, connections, permitting and financing
Protect Your Herd
Put our elevated solar arrays to work sheltering live stock from intense heat
Improve Land Health
Let our solar arrays reduce water evaporation, increase productivity of your land
The PlanitWorks-RUTE Suntracker Process
You Provide the Land, We Take Care of the Rest
PlanitWorks and RUTE SunTracker have joined forces to bring high-clearance solar farming to ranch and farmland.
These 25-acre solar canopies are erected a mininum of 9 feet above the ground and cabled and controlled to track with the sun for maximum exposure and power generation.
These canopies not only capture sunlight, they also provide from the most intense parts of the day for livestock as well as the land below.
We’ve even added scratching posts to the SunTracker suspension poles to enable cattle and other livestock to find relief from those annoying itches.
Agrivoltaics is fast-growing industry focused on the co-location of solar photovoltaics with stretches of agricultural land (usually ranch and farmland).
Our RUTE SunTracker technology has been sanctioned by the U.S. departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) as well as DOE’s coveted American Made Solar Prize.
By acting as natural shading systems under which livestock can take shelter during the hottest parts of the day, RUTE SunTrackers not only protect cattle, sheep, and other herd types, but also the land beneath the canopies.
Research conducted by Oregon State University, among others, has demonstrated that agrivoltaics reduces evaporation, resulting in improved soil health, stronger soil composition, and better grazing.
A full-size Rute Suntracker installation includes:
- 24 x 24 stem poles
- 18 photovoltaic panels per pole
- Installation footprint of 25 acres
Leveraging bridge rigging best practices, the Suntracker cabling system can withstand hurricane-force winds (up to 130mph) while continuing to synchronize panels with the sun. Modern engineering practices also reduce steel and concrete usage by 25%.
Both the pitch poles and stem poles employ ground screw anchors, meaning that the surrounding soil does not need to be graded or otherwise disturbed.
Once completed and connected, the system is capable of generating approximately 4.35MW of electricity.
PlanitWorks spearheads energy project development projects in new, unexplored, and disenfranchised regions long overlooked for their energy generation potential.
With more than 650 million acres of cattle and rangeland, PlanitWorks believes the future of solar exists directly above the heads of cattle and other herd types – herds that will appreciate shelter from solar canopies as well as improved grazing conditions below it.
RUTE SunTracker provides the necessary hardware, including solar panels and high-tension rigging capable of withstanding winds of 130mph, to build the elevated solar canopies.
Together, the companies are committed to becoming leaders in the agrivoltaics space.
“When solar’s done right, it can contribute to farm viability. It benefits biodiversity, it benefits pollinators — these larger goals of conservation are coming together. I’m hopeful this is beginning of a revolution of intelligent co-design.”
Lexie Hain, Co-founder, American Solar Grazing Association
Interested?
Drop us a line to discuss your project.