The expansion of solar energy capacity in the United States, particularly into the Midwest, is raising concerns about the potential impact on some of America's most productive farmland. Five years after a farmer in Indiana leased his fields to a solar power company, he worries the land will never be good enough for crops again. The region's appeal for solar companies includes cheaper land rents, good access to electric transmission, and a wealth of federal and state incentives. However, this growth comes with risks. Farmers and agronomists are worried that converting prime agricultural land into solar farms could irreversibly damage the soil's quality. Some solar companies are attempting to mitigate these effects by designing sites that allow for crops to grow between panels or by using livestock to graze around them.
The solar industry is pushing into the U.S. Midwest, drawn by cheaper land rents and wide-open fields. But many solar farms are taking over some of the country's best cropland. https://t.co/71ZMyBOl0v
Some solar companies are designing sites to make it possible to grow crops between panels, while others use livestock to graze around the panels, but farmers and agronomists worry the shift to renewable energy risks damaging some of America's richest soils https://t.co/MwxrQNT967 https://t.co/nu9SlTjz9u
π The pitch from solar companies to US farmers is simple: Rent out your ground to us so that we can harvest the sun. The reality is a bit more complicated. Join @cwalljasper and @pjhuffstutter as they wade into the debate over Americaβs farmland https://t.co/UPNFVk1A90 https://t.co/iunRMBSyvP
Five years after a farmer leased some of his Indiana fields to a solar power company, he worries the land will never be good enough to grow crops again. The renewable energy boom risks damaging some of America's richest soils in key farming states https://t.co/T9u9A4JSLk https://t.co/tI0dkbgFDd
As solar capacity grows, some of America's most productive farmland is at risk The solar industry is pushing into the U.S. Midwest, drawn by cheaper land rents, access to electric transmission, and a wealth of federal and state incentives. The region also has what solar needs:β¦
As solar capacity grows, some of America's most productive farmland is at risk https://t.co/teeKBkX9z7 https://t.co/6cMlKDy6f2
β οΈ AS SOLAR CAPACITY GROWS, SOME OF AMERICA'S MOST PRODUCTIVE FARMLAND IS AT RISK Full Story β https://t.co/s6MGgL8kCL