Lightstar Renewables LLC celebrated a major milestone in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy with the successful ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Plains Road agrivoltaics project. The groundbreaking initiative, launched at the DiMartino Farm in Montgomery, New York, drew significant attention from state officials, agricultural leaders and local media, marking a new chapter in dual-purpose land use that benefits both farming and clean energy production.

In 2021, while supervisor of the Town of Montgomery, now-Assemblyman Brian Maher crafted a local law that would specifically allow agrivoltaic developments like this to have a place in the Town of Montgomery. This project is years in the making and now will serve as an example for other communities to follow in the years ahead. Assemblyman Maher, whose legislative leadership played an instrumental role in moving the project forward, joined representatives from American Farmland Trust, Iain Ward—a farmer and CEO of Solar Agricultural Services, Inc.—as well as local farmers, community members and regional media to commemorate the commissioning of New York’s first agrivoltaics installation.

“Today marks a turning point for sustainable development in New York,” said Assemblyman Maher. “The Plains Road project demonstrates how we can honor our agricultural heritage while meeting our goals of energy independence and providing a variety of clean alternatives to complement reliable energy sources that our communities and state count on for grid reliability.”

The ceremony showcased the project’s innovative design, which enables hay planting and harvesting equipment to operate efficiently alongside the solar installation. In addition, the site will incorporate two acres of vegetable production, creating opportunities for beginning farmers while producing enough renewable energy to power 466 homes annually.

“Too often in New York, we have seen that building clean energy means shutting down farms for good. While not every product will be able to work with agrivoltaics, it certainly is a step in the right direction to both support renewable energy and protect local farms,” said Maher.