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Solar and Agricultural Land Use Can Occur Harmoniously
As solar continues to expand into new markets,both rural and urban,land use discussions are likely to occur.In these discussions,
it's important for participants to understand that solar in not a threat to agricultural activity,but rather a harmonious development
that can assist the farming community.
• Solar can provide land with an opportunity to recover,when paired with the planting of native grasses and pollinators and
be used for agricultural purposes in the future.
• Farmers can utilize solar as a steady revenue stream to help smooth out the impact of grain and produce market volatility.
• Installations of utility-scale solar continue to expand;however,they are still not a significant cause of the loss of
agricultural land.
Solar Land Needs in the U.S.
As ground-mounted solar is expanding into more states,developers and Agricultural Land Loss
farmers are looking to agricultural land for installations.Though
renewable energy critics have claimed that ground-mounted solar farms
are taking up large swaths of viable agricultural land,expanding urban
areas and residential development accounted for nearly all lost Low-level
farmland.'In the last decade,while North Carolina rose to become the Residential
#2 state in the U.S.in solar installations,the state lost one million acres Development
of cropland to development and housing,yet only 1%of that total was
due to solar development 2 Moreover,many solar developments 41 O`O
strengthen agricultural communities and augment local agricultural
production.
Even as installations of utility-scale solar continue to expand,
they still do not pose a significant risk to the loss of
agricultural land.To generate enough electricity to power the
entire country,solar facilities would need to occupy roughly
Total U.S. Land Area the same area devoted to surface coal mining,3 with a much
cleaner outcome.
In Pennsylvania,the Department of Environmental Protection
found that only 124 square miles(79,200 acres)of land will
be needed to increase grid solar sufficiently to generate 10
i*L
percent of electricity.4 This is less than three-tenths of 1
percent of Pennsylvania's total land area of 46,055 square
miles.In addition,land that is already in use,such as landfills
and aba doned mine land,could also host grid-scale solar installations.
Solar Alldws Land to Recover
Land Area Needed to Power the U.S. with Solar PV
1 https://www.agweekcom/business/agriculture/4443480-31-million-acres-lost-development-cuts-us-farmland
2 North Carolina Sustainable Energy Assn,"North Carolina Solar&Agriculture"(April 2017).https://energync.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/04/NCSEA NC Solar and Agriculture 4 19.pdf.
3 https://solar.gwu.edu/how-much-land-would-it-take-power-us-solar
4 https://www.de�pa.gov/Business/Energy/OfficeofPollutionPrevention/SolarFuture/Pages/Pennsylvania's-Solar-Future-PIan.aslx
www.seia.org July 2019
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Soil can be improved by planting native grasses/pollinators and effectively letting the soil rest.In the future,when a solar project is
decommissioned,farming can once again resume on that land.This is a stark contrast to other development,which often leaves land
unusable for agriculture 5,6 After the panels are installed,native vegetation—often friendly to bees and other pollinators—is
planted.The deep roots of the planted native vegetation retain more water than turf grass and gravel during heavy storms and
periods of drought.They also help retain topsoil and improve soil health over time,even in"brownfield"areas with polluted soils.?
Solar Projects Provide Economic Benefits to the Farming Community
Solar paired with native grasses and pollinators can provide overused soil an opportunity to recover and a healthy revenue stream
to farmers.
• Keeps farmers on their land
o Solar lease payments tend to be higher than leasing for traditional agriculture operations.
o Farming is an extremely low-margin,competitive industry.If a farmer can add solar to a portion of their property
and get a long-term steady income,it can help them to keep their farm.
o Steady income from solar projects means that farmers are less vulnerable to fluctuations in market prices or crop
yields.
• Downstream benefits from 0&M and tax revenue have lasting positive community impact
• Solar can offset power required for pumping and provide electricity to remote irrigation systems
• Provides substantial tax revenue to local communities.$Detailed data collection in NC shows local tax revenues up 2000%
after the state's big solar build up through 2017.9
• Provides local construction jobs
NREL,Photos by Dennis Schroeder
Co-location of Agricultural Activities and Solar
Solar and agriculture are not mutually exclusive.In fact,the U.S.Government incentivizes co-locating solar with agricultural
production.USDA's REAP program provides grants to those interested in investing in solar energy.However,to qualify,applicants
must receive at least 50%of their income from agricultural operations.10 Additionally,pollinators and sheep farmers are two
examples of co-located agricultural activities that exist in harmony with solar projects.11 According to a study,co-location and solar
grazing bring net positive benefits for both farmers,in the form of additional income,and solar facilities,through increased energy
production and reduced maintenance expenses.Please see SEIA's Multiuse Farming Factsheet for more information.
5 https://www.nrel.gov/news/features/2019/beneath-solar-panels-the-seeds-of-opportunity-sprout.html
6 https:/lwww.energy.gov/eere/eere/solar/farmers-guide-going-solar
7 https://www.nrel.gov/news/features/2019/beneath-solar-panels-the-seeds-of-opportunity-sprout.htm]
S North Carolina Sustainable Energy Assn,"North Carolina Solar&Agriculture"(April 2017).https://energync.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/04/NCSEA NC Solar and Agriculture 4 19.12df.
9httl2s:/lenergync.org/wp-content loads/2019107/Small Increased-NC-County-Tax-Revenue-from-Solar-Developmentv3.pdf
10 hit2s://www.rd.usda.gov/files/RD FactSheet RBS REAP RE EE.pdf
11https:[/energync.org/wp-content/unloads/2017/04/NCSEA NC Solar and Agriculture 4 19.12df
www.seia.org July 2019