USDA studies growing crops and solar panels on same farm
H.R. 10605 — SUNRAY for Energy Act · Filed by Eric Sorensen (D-IL) · Introduced Sep 24, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The bill tells the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study solar-and-crop systems. The USDA will test which crops work with solar panels. It will set up test farms in many regions. It will write guides to protect soil. The bill gives $15 million per year through 2031.
Who it affects
Farmers could add solar panels to their land and earn more money. Universities and research groups will get grants to study solar-and-crop systems. Solar makers may sell more panels if farmers try this method.
One thing to notice
The bill creates a federal rule for solar-and-crop systems. These farms may then use existing farm programs like crop insurance and money for land care.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
- Sep 24, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 24, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- solar-and-crop systems — Solar panels put on farmland while crops or livestock still grow below
- soil — The ground where plants grow
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (8,938 characters) on Sep 30, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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