Will agricultural land be used for solar energy?

Agricultural land in the U.S. has the technical potential to provide 27 terawatts of solar energy capacity. This is a quarter of the total U.S. solar energy capacity of 115 TW. Only 0.3% of farmland is expected to be used for solar energy by 2035. Will using land for solar panels drive up the price of food?

What is agrivoltaics?

Most large, ground‐mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are installed on land used only for solar energy production. It’s possible to co-locate solar and agriculture on the same land, which could provide benefits to both the solar and agricultural industries.

Why are solar farms primarily located on agricultural land?

This is particularly relevant as areas of poorer quality land are often constrained for other reasons such as absence of suitable grid access, flood risk, terrain difficulties or the land simply being unavailable for development. This means that solar farms are predominantly located on agricultural land.

How can farmers benefit from solar energy?

Farmers can benefit from solar energy in several ways—by leasing farmland for solar; installing a solar system on a house, barn, or other building; or through agrivoltaics. Agrivoltaics is defined as agriculture, such as crop production, livestock grazing, and pollinator habitat, located underneath solar panels and/or between rows of solar panels.

Does solar energy conflict with agriculture land use?

While this is a small fraction (less than 0.3%) of US land area, solar is likely to conflict with agriculture land use because the same attributes that make land appropriate for solar energy (plentiful sun, flat land) are also attractive for agriculture.

Should solar energy be located on farmland?

Locating solar energy on farmland could significantly increase the available land for solar development, while maintaining land in agricultural production and expanding economic opportunities for farmers, rural communities, and the solar industry.