Silicon Ranch, the developer, owner, and operator of one of the largest fleets of solar facilities, announced a strategic investment in Swap Robotics, a pioneer in utility-scale solar robotic operations through its leading solar robotics platform. As part of the funding, Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and CEO Reagan Farr will join the board of directors at Swap Robotics.
Silicon Ranch is uniquely committed to land stewardship practices that restore and preserve the land beneath and around its arrays. Through its wholly-owned agribusiness, Regenerative Energy, it integrates regenerative ranching and other land stewardship practices that restore soil health, promote biodiversity, and improve water quality at its sites. And Swap Robotics’ 100% electric, autonomous robots align seamlessly with Silicon Ranch’s high standards for land management, innovation, and environmental stewardship.
The funding from Silicon Ranch follows previous significant investments in Swap Robotics, including a $7 million investment round led by SOLV Energy in February 2023 and a $3 million investment from Array Technologies in November 2024. And this additional investment from Silicon Ranch will help propel Swap’s momentum as it seeks to expand further within the North American solar sector, having already maintained thousands of acres of solar sites through the deployment of dozens of robots.
Silicon Ranch currently owns about 50,000 acres of land—a number that will more than double in the next few years and its Asset Management team was impressed by Swap’s innovative purpose-built robots that combine efficiency with advanced autonomous technology. These robots can be quickly deployed across large sites, complementing Silicon Ranch’s own flock of sheep for vegetation management. And Swap’s battery-powered robots can operate both during the day and at night, and they are significantly quieter compared to conventional mowers.
KEY QUOTES:
“As part of Silicon Ranch’s commitment to asset ownership and economic development, we own our land rather than lease it, and accordingly we embrace our responsibilities as land stewards through our agribusiness Regenerative Energy. For the past couple of years, our team has explored several options to complement the managed livestock grazing activities of our shepherds and our company-owned 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. We are pleased to make this strategic investment in Swap Robotics to help expand its business for the benefit of our entire industry.”
Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and CEO Reagan Farr
“Soon after our founding in 2019, we set out to be the category creator of a solar robotics platform. This latest investment recognizes our position as a leader in the category and allows us to continue innovating and expanding in what is still an early and rapidly growing industry in North America. It’s also a tremendous vote of confidence coming from Silicon Ranch, a respected pioneer and leader in solar development, operations, and sustainable land management.”
Swap Robotics Founder and CEO Tim Lichti
