Stracker Solar Wins Jackson County Approval for 1.4 MW Solar Project North of Ashland
Eighty-four elevated Stracker dual-axis tracking systems will help energize the north Ashland electric distribution grid while powering homes and businesses through the City's virtual net metering program. The project will produce nearly 3,360 MWh of clean , local energy each year, with enough electricity to power about 280 homes.
ASHLAND, Ore. September 1st, 2026 — Stracker Solar, a Southern Oregon solar developer and manufacturer of the patented Stracker elevated dual-axis solar tracking platform, today announced it has received Jackson County approval to build a 1.4-megawatt (MW) solar project on an approximately 8-acre site adjoining the north end of Ashland. The project has been safe harbored for a full 50% of project costs under FITC tax credits. It will use 84 locally produced, all-steel, elevated dual-axis Stracker trackers, built in phases, and is expected to be completed in 2027.
Oregon State University has expressed interest in collaborating on an agrivoltaics research project focused on grazing of cattle beneath the solar plant. While there have been many research projects involving sheep and goats, there are almost none involving large livestock such as cattle. This is largely because fixed-mounted photovoltaic installations are too fragile and low-lying to coexist with cattle. The Stracker system’s elevated, all-steel construction is built to withstand large livestock, positioning it to set a new standard for agrivoltaics in this type of agricultural operation.
Once complete, the project will interconnect with and provide a measure of resilience in the north portion of the City of Ashland's electric distribution grid. By the way of the City's virtual net metering program, all of the electricity produced will be metered and credited directly to local Ashland homes and businesses — keeping the project's economic and environmental benefits inside the community it serves.
The project will generate nearly 3,360 megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean electricity annually, enough to meet the equivalent electricity needs of about 280 homes. Because the trackers follow the sun on two axes from an elevated platform, the Strackers capture 50 to 70% more usable energy annually than a similarly sized fixed-tilt or single-axis system, while leaving the land below open for improved agricultural use. This pairs clean energy production with working agricultural land rather than displacing it.
The project also brings a measure of economic activity to the city, employing local contractors and tradespeople for the construction, as well as the local fabrication shop to build the Stracker units themselves — adding to a growing base of distributed solar generation strengthening Ashland's electric grid while helping moderate the city's future infrastructure costs.
“This project shows what's possible when local solar development and local energy policy work together. The County's approval of the project and City’s acceptance of the solar power into the distribution will allow this project’s benefits to flow straight to the homes and businesses that make this community what it is.
Stracker's elevated tracking platform was built for exactly this kind of dual use — it's a great example of solar and agriculture reinforcing each other instead of competing for land.”— Jeffery Sharpe, PE
About Stracker Solar
Stracker Solar, headquartered in Ashland, Oregon, designs, manufactures, and develops projects built on its patented Stracker elevated dual-axis solar tracking platform, marketed as the world's most efficient PV solar platform. The company continues to prove and refine its state-of-the-art product with Stracker installations across a wide range of terrains and climates, from New York to Southern California. Learn more at strackersolar.com.
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