A 4.95-megawatt (MW) agrivoltaic solar project has secured approval in Illinois, paving the way for a community solar facility that will continue producing hay while generating renewable electricity.

According to a press statement, the Paxton City Council Tuesday (November 3) approved an annexation agreement for the Baltimore Drive Solar Project, allowing the roughly 35-acre site to become part of the city and enabling property tax revenue from the development to flow directly to Paxton. Residents, businesses, and public institutions subscribing to the community solar project are expected to save about 10% on their electricity bills, the statement said.

Unlike conventional solar farms that often remove farmland from production, the project has been designed as an agrivoltaic installation, allowing crops to grow beneath and between rows of solar panels.

Developed by Lightstar Renewables, a Boston-based solar energy company, the project will occupy around 30 acres of leased agricultural land while preserving hay production throughout the site’s operational life.

The facility will use single-axis solar trackers, which rotate throughout the day to follow the sun and increase electricity generation compared with fixed-tilt panels. The trackers will stand up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) high, leaving enough clearance for agricultural machinery to continue cutting and baling hay beneath the arrays.

The site will also be enclosed with livestock-style fencing designed to blend into the surrounding agricultural landscape.

Unlike many modern utility-scale solar facilities, the Baltimore Drive project will not include battery energy storage . Instead, electricity generated by the installation will flow directly into the local distribution grid through an existing grid interconnection selected for its capacity and proximity.

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