For years, two cranberry bogs in Massachusetts produced no berries. But then in 2025, the bogs did produce again. It was all under the rows of solar panels built as part of two joint energy projects called Black Cat and Ring Road.
Black Cat and Ring Road were dual-use projects that generated energy using solar power while leaving both bogs intact.
Distributed Energy Infrastructure (DEI) created those projects. According to DEI, the bogs remained uncultivated until construction began in 2023.
The successful harvest drew attention to an emerging trend that combines agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same area of land. Interest in combining food and energy production continues to grow.
Cranberry producers in Massachusetts are examining whether solar panels can generate electricity while allowing cranberries to grow beneath them.
Why cranberry growers are exploring solar
Solar projects present an ongoing dilemma for many farmers. Farmers benefit financially by adding solar to their property.
However, many are concerned about how the land will be used and whether it will remain available for agriculture.
That concern has led to increased interest in dual-use solar projects.
What farmers see in the concept
Dual-use solar projects generate electricity while allowing crops to continue growing beneath the panels.
The Solar and Farming Association (SAFA) supports this type of project and is composed of developers, agricultural producers, livestock producers, and organizations that include DEI. SAFA’s mission is to promote projects that keep land in agricultural use, while providing a new revenue stream through electricity generation.
Supporters say these systems can help stabilize farm operations during volatile market conditions, support local economies, and strengthen rural energy resilience.
Cranberry producers in Massachusetts have taken notice of the opportunity presented by dual-use solar systems. Researchers and cranberry producers are currently assessing whether cranberry bogs can be converted into dual-use solar systems.
Under the Massachusetts SMART solar incentives program, dual-use solar systems can be developed alongside continued agricultural production.
Before the panels arrive, researchers are testing the shade
At the University of Massachusetts Amherst Cranberry Station, researchers are conducting experiments to assess how solar panels affect cranberry plants.
Instead of starting with actual solar panels, researchers at the station are using plywood sheets to mimic shade on a small plot. This method allows researchers to study the impacts of reduced light on the growth of cranberry plants prior to installing a full solar system.
The current experiment utilizes the Stevens cranberry variety, one of the cultivars being used to evaluate how cranberry plants respond to altered light conditions.
The study focuses on how reduced light changes conditions within the cranberry canopy. Researchers are collecting preliminary data about how reduced light affects cranberry plants, canopy microclimate, yield, and fruit quality.
Similar dual-use solar projects have already been developed by Distributed Energy Infrastructure in Massachusetts cranberry bogs, including the Black Cat and Ring Road projects.
What’s happening with the cranberry?
The researchers are studying how shading from panel structures affects cranberry plants. Their work focuses on canopy microclimate, plant physiology, yield, and fruit quality.
In essence, researchers are attempting to determine how cranberry plants respond when sunlight is able to reach them differently than normal.
Projects like Black Cat and Ring Road have demonstrated that cranberry production can occur simultaneously with solar development.
According to DEI, the two bogs experienced their first successful harvests in many years during 2025. The harvest followed efforts to restore and protect the bog environment before, during, and after construction.
Researchers continue to examine what is happening beneath the panels and within the cranberry canopy.
The answer may lie in changes to canopy microclimate, plant physiology, yield, and fruit quality.
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