Large Animal and Solar System Operations (LASSO) Prize

The American-Made Large Animal and Solar System Operations (LASSO) Prize offers $8+ million in cash prizes to multi-stakeholder teams that develop impactful projects to deepen our understanding of the co-location of solar photovoltaics (PV) and cattle grazing operations (cattle agrivoltaics). 

 The LASSO Prize is designed to bring solar developers, farmers, ranchers, and other stakeholders together to form teams; build pilot sites; identify best practices, use cases, costs, applicable business models, and associated energy and agricultural outcomes; host field days; and more!

Large Animal and Solar System Operations (LASSO) Prize: 

 Agrivoltaics, the co-location of solar PV and agriculture, is a growing industry that shows promising benefits for both agricultural production and solar energy development. 

Cattle agrivoltaics has the potential to reduce land use conflict, preserve agricultural land, increase landowner and farmer/rancher revenues, and may also benefit animal welfare and plant and soil health while easing some of the barriers to solar energy deployment.

This innovative practice is relatively new in the U.S., and more pilot and pilot site projects are needed to de-risk designs and business models to prove that cattle agrivoltaics can yield agricultural and economic opportunities.

The LASSO Prize, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, will support pilot and pilot site projects designed to gather and share information about costs, business models, and energy and agricultural outcomes associated with cattle agrivoltaics. The prize also aims to support relationship-building between the solar energy and agricultural communities and generate best practices that will help expand the industry.

The prize is open to U.S.-based individuals and organizations, including solar developers, ranchers, and farmers. Teams are encouraged to include members who are hardware and software manufacturers, local governments, utilities, commodity organizations, historically underserved producers, researchers, extension programs, and universities with expertise in cattle research and agrivoltaics. See the Official Rules for eligibility criteria.

NOTE: For this prize, cattle agrivoltaics entails the co-location of solar PV arrays and cattle grazing. It does not include rooftop PV systems, projects without interaction between the cattle and the PV array, or projects with any livestock other than cattle.

The LASSO Prize encourages submissions that will demonstrate integration of PV with cattle grazing, promote sustainable agricultural and energy practices, enhance land use efficiency, and support rural economies. 

Interested competitors are encouraged to create multi-stakeholder teams and compete in one of two available tracks: Standard Track or Operating Projects Track. Both tracks are accepting Phase 1 submissions until March 6, 2025, 5 p.m. ET.

Standard Track

The Standard Track is open to new cattle agrivoltaics projects. Through the three phases (Phase 2 consists of two subphases), this track focuses on teaming, system and grazing plan design, construction, implementation, and multi-year data collection.  

Phase 1: Team Formation and Project Planning

• Teams identify at least one potential site and develop a plan for integrating PV systems with cattle grazing. 
  • The minimum eligible size of a planned cattle agrivoltaics system is 250 kW-dc.
• Deadline: March 6, 2025, 5 p.m. ET

Phase 2A: Detailed Planning, Design and Permitting:  

• Teams refine project plans, finalize system design, and complete due diligence, including receiving engineering designs and drawings, completing energy production modeling, obtaining proof of submission of an interconnection application, and receiving applicable NEPA clearance, land use permits or approvals.

Phase 2B: Construction and Initial Operation

• Teams construct cattle agrivoltaics systems and demonstrate operational viability, including energizing the system and submitting photos of the system, inspection reports and proof of cattle integration.

Phase 3: Data Collection and Analysis 

• Over the course of two years, with four submission deadlines (subphases 3A - 3D, every six months), teams will collect and report data on system performance, energy production, operations and maintenance, cattle health and agricultural outcomes.

*Data Bounty Bonus Prize is open to teams in both the Standard Track and the Operating Projects Track

Please note: Standard Track Phase 2B and Phase 3 Official Rules will be released ahead of the respective phase opening dates. 

Operating Projects Track

This track is open to currently operational cattle agrivoltaics projects that are fully operational by the Phase 1 application deadline and that are larger than 250 kW-dc. 

Phase 1: Documentation of Existing Projects  

• Teams submit team information, system specifications, cost information, and cattle integration details. 
• Deadline: March 6, 2025, 5 p.m. ET

Phase 2: Data Collection and Reporting

• Over two years, with four submission deadlines (subphases 2A - 2D, every six months), teams collect and report data on system performance, operations and maintenance, energy production, cattle health, and agricultural outcomes.

*Data Bounty Bonus Prize is open to teams in both the Standard Track and the Operating Projects Track

Note: Rules for Operating Projects Track Phase 2 will be released ahead of the Phase 2 opening dates. 

The LASSO Prize also offers two bonus prizes: the Largest PV System Bonus Prize and the Data Bounty Bonus Prize. 

•  The Largest PV System Bonus Prize is awarded to the team with the largest operational cattle agrivoltaics system in which cattle interact with a DC-rated PV capacity over 5 MW-dc, considering only teams from the Standard Track with eligible Standard Track Phase 2B submissions.
• The Data Bounty Bonus Prize is awarded to the team that submits the most valuable datasets from cattle agrivoltaics projects that go above and beyond minimum requirements. Submissions from both Standard Track Phase 3 and Operating Projects Track Phase 2 are eligible for this bonus prize.

Please review the Official Rules for the complete application process and instructions for competing.

If you want to receive updates on the prize or have any questions, please follow this HeroX page, subscribe to the American-Made Newsletter, or email prize administrators directly at . 

You can access teaming resources on the Resource tab to help identify other stakeholders who are interested in your project.