Swap Robotics' Autonomous Mowers Advance Silicon Ranch's Solar Strategy

In an ambitious move to enhance soil health and biodiversity, Swap Robotics' electric, autonomous mowers have been chosen by Regenerative Energy, a subsidiary of Silicon Ranch, to aid in sustainable land management at various solar project sites.

Farr noted that the company has been evaluating different strategies over the years to complement the managed grazing done by its team and their flock of sheep.

"Following a successful pilot of Swap Robotics’ technology, we determined that the mission, operational model, and strong leadership team at Swap Robotics align well with our vision of innovatively scaling a fully integrated agrivoltaics program that can be deployed across our fleet from coast to coast," said Farr.

Before Silicon Ranch's current investment, the Ontario-based Swap Robotics had already attracted significant attention, securing a US$3 million investment from Array Technologies in November 2024. This funding, part of a Pre-Series A round, could be complemented by two additional US$1 million tranches dependent on achieving specific performance targets. The investment was part of efforts to develop automated solutions for module installation, thereby reducing costs for solar project developers and EPCs.

In addition, in October 2022, SOLV Energy, a US EPC contractor, invested in Swap Robotics to explore new applications of robotics technology at utility-scale solar PV sites in the US. This collaboration aimed to expedite the development of autonomous technologies for solar operations.

Silicon Ranch, based in Tennessee, spans an extensive 50,000 acres and currently manages 3.6GW of operational solar PV capacity, with an additional 3.7GW under construction. With plans to exceed 10GW by 2030, their development pipeline is over 12GW. Recently, they secured a $500 million investment from Danish fund manager AIP Management to fuel this growth.

Furthermore, in February 2025, Microsoft entered a multi-year agreement with Silicon Ranch via its carbon solutions platform, Clearloop. This deal focuses on deploying up to 100MW of community-oriented solar projects, chiefly in underserved areas of Arkansas and Louisiana. The initial four projects, with three located in Arkansas and one in Louisiana, are expected to commence construction shortly.