Crops, cows, and solar panels? Why farmers are harvesting sunlight.

Following a successful pilot, Malawi’s National Commission for Science and Technology is now expanding use of solar-powered milking devices and water pumping systems, which have improved milk quality and significantly reduced time spent fetching water.

In the Indian state of Bihar, women-led self-help groups are challenging traditional gender norms and saving money to buy and install solar irrigation pumps. The pumps increase the local agricultural capacity by providing a cleaner, more affordable alternative to the diesel pumps typically used to combat water scarcity in the region.

Thanks to a government-funded electrification project, Modhera is the first solar-powered village in India, and as a result, nearly all of the residents pay nothing for electricity. Instead, they earn money from selling unused power back to the grid.

The Footprint Project is working to make disaster recovery efforts more sustainable by replacing diesel- and gas-powered generators with solar-powered batteries. The team works with local solar companies, nonprofits, community groups, and governments to distribute as much solar-powered climate tech as they can in the wake of disasters.

Several nonprofits are running a solar cooperative in El Paso, Texas, that helps homeowners come together to buy and install solar panels in bulk, which makes them more affordable.

A community solar project in a rural Michigan town is making energy more affordable for low-to-moderate-income households. Fifty community members and organizations subscribed to receive energy from and support the construction of a solar array. As a result, their electricity bills are about $300 cheaper each year, and the local utility reported fewer late payments.

The renewable energy company EnerWealth Solutions is helping Black farmers in the Carolinas install solar panels among their crops so they can benefit financially from the solar boom with a consistent stream of income.

Farmers in West Bengal, India, are swapping rice for bananas to save on expenses and labor and adapt to increasingly erratic monsoons and rainfall impacting yields. The farmers use solar panels and drip irrigation setups funded by the state government to reduce emissions and minimize water loss, as bananas require a lot of water.

A solar panel array at the Steelton-Highspire School District generates enough energy to meet the schools’ needs, and the switch to solar is estimated to save the district $1.6 million over the next 20 years, which it can use to improve programming for students.

People in Lebanon are installing their own rooftop solar panels and batteries to have constant access to energy instead of relying on expensive and unreliable community diesel generators.