Marshall County plan panel adds ‘agrivoltaics’ definition to zoning ordinance

The Marshall County Plan Commission voted May 28 to approve an amendment to the county zoning ordinance that adds a definition for "agrivoltaics," a term the commission described as the co-location of agricultural production and solar energy systems on the same land.

Nick, a county planner, told commissioners the term is becoming more common in the solar industry and that the amendment is intended to ensure the county's ordinance covers such projects while the board completes a larger rewrite. "It's basically just the combination of agriculture and solar energy systems used in combination," he said, adding the current solar development standards cap installations at five panel acres of solar collection.

Commissioners asked technical questions about on-site agriculture under solar panels. A Purdue representative responded that grazing outcomes depend on stocking density and field management: "It depends," the representative said when asked whether sheep would eat vegetation down to bare soil. The representative also noted results from soil sampling in 2023–24 showing elevated zinc in some soils and said, "we haven't seen any evidence of that happening" in small ruminants, while acknowledging the metal was present in the tested soils.

After discussion and a brief public-comment period, the commission moved and seconded approval and recorded a roll-call vote in which multiple commissioners voted yes. Chair and staff clarified that the amendment "adds to the ordinance" by defining agrivoltaics and does not change the five-panel-acre limit currently in place.

The amendment will proceed to the next steps identified by the commission and was scheduled for further consideration at the June 15, 2026 meeting of the board identified in the ordinance text. Commissioners said the definition is intended as an interim clarification so the county can treat agrivoltaics proposals consistently while working toward a comprehensive update of its development standards.