New Generation Dual-Use Solar Underway

New Generation Dual-Use Solar Underway As climate-smart solutions and energy efficiency return to the forefront, Helical Solar is stepping up to integrate utility-scale solar energy with traditional feedlot and farming operations. Their agrivoltaic systems are proving to be a renewable energy infrastructure where agriculture can coexist and succeed. Helical Solar’s approach is truly dual-use. The company’s elevated, bifacial solar arrays are designed to maximize both energy production and land use. Feedlot cattle benefit from protective shade, while farmers profit by generating competitive levels of clean energy with minimal land disruption. A demonstration of this technology is underway in Harrington, Kan., where Helical Solar is piloting the world’s first feedlot in-pen agrivoltaics (Agri-PV) installation. The system’s 13.5-ft. high arrays allow cattle to move freely underneath, providing essential shade during the hot summer months. This not only reduces heat stress on the animals but also contributes to their average weight gain. “Cattle get shade and lower their body temperature in the hot summer months, which helps with weight gain of about 19 lbs. per cow,” says Helical founder James McKinion. “It all adds quite a bit of money. Right now, we’re getting our summer trial data back from our control group feedlot pens and our PV-installed pens.” The Harrington project’s comparative data will provide additional insights into the real-world benefits. Helical Solar’s panels use dual-axis sun tracking and Tier 1 bifacial technology to maximize terrestrial solar energy production. Their patented helical pile installation avoids soil compaction and eliminates the need for concrete foundations or guywires, enabling rapid deployment with minimal land disruption. The panels are engineered to withstand extreme conditions, with automated features that endure wind and snow. They’re designed for quick installation, shipped preassembled and ready to be torqued into position with a derrick truck. Supported by a USDA climate-smart commodity project, Helical Solar expects to expand from the pilot to a feedlot-wide deployment serving 19,000 head of cattle. The company’s flexible system is also tailored for row crops, with offset grid spacing that accommodates common North American crops, including corn, soybeans, cotton and wheat, ensuring standard agricultural practices remain uninterrupted. “Helical Solar delivers utility-scale agrivoltaics that empower farmers and ranchers with true dual-use solar. With superior shading and energy yield, minimized land disruption, and competitive LCOE, we make solar energy and working lands function as one high-performing system, proving that renewable energy infrastructure and agriculture can coexist without compromise,” McKinion says. From net-metering opportunities to scalable, megawatt-level installations, the company is poised to help shape the future of sustainable agriculture, bringing new revenue streams and energy hardiness to cattle and grain farmers nationwide. “We’re a small start-up but competitive with existing solutions in the market,” McKinion says. “We’re partnering with different large-scale manufacturing across the U.S. to be able to use economies of scale to be competitive with current solar. Contact us through the website to discuss pricing and zero in on how this approach can work for your operation.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Helical Solar, 10921 E. Crystal Falls Pkwy. C3, Leander, Texas 78641 (ph 662-243-0257; www.helicalsolar.com).

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