By Peter Sinclair //

As the Clean Energy Transition progresses, one of the questions most often asked is “How much land will be necessary for development of solar energy?”

An ambitious build out of utility scale solar in Michigan would require about 2.5 percent of our 10 million acres of agricultural land. By comparison, today we devote between 7 and 10 percent of that land to corn ethanol production, which is a much more destructive and less efficient use of that land.

A recent study by Renew Wisconsin showed that, comparing the use of farmland for ethanol or solar, as measured in the potential for EV vs combustion vehicle mileage, showed that “… ethanol used in internal combustion engines requires about 85 times the amount of land to power the same amount of driving as solar-charged electric vehicles.”

For many farmers, clean energy development, solar and wind, represent a financial lifeline to diversify incomes, keep farms in the family and farmers on  the land as stewards.

Unlike solar, which protects farmers, and can even enhance farm soil, sprawl will destroy open land essentially forever.

Indeed, my experience is that opponents to solar and wind development across the Midwest almost always include real estate speculators, hungry to see farmers fail so that land can be scooped up for subdivisions, strip malls, gas stations, burger joints, and concrete.

American Farmland Trust, a nonprofit with a mission to protect farmland, points out that unbridled sprawl development could result in “24.4 million acres of farmland and ranch land … paved over, fragmented, or compromised by 2040.”

The Trust has published “Smart Solar” guidelines to support, in their words, “three main, equally important goals: (1) accelerating solar energy development, (2) strengthening farm viability, and (3) safeguarding land well-suited for farming and ranching.”

Over and over again, in interviews, what I heard from farmers and landowners is that they did not want to sell their land, but that, by setting aside part of it for wind or solar development, they could keep it economically viable, and save it for future generations (in the case of wind, there is practically no effect on farm production).

A large body of research is emerging that shows the positive effects of solar projects in promoting soil health, supporting pollinators and beneficial insects, and expanding biodiversity. One such study recently came from Argonne National Lab, which followed two solar fields sited on farmland for four years, and found, among other benefits, “… increases in the abundance and diversity of native insect pollinators and agriculturally beneficial insects, which included honeybees, native bees, wasps, hornets, hoverflies, other flies, moths, butterflies and beetles. Flowers and flowering plant species increased as well. Total insect abundance tripled, while native bees showed a 20-fold increase in numbers.”

Research from Europe shows that solar fields provide habitat for birds and small mammals, supporting higher richness and diversity, and aiding in rebuilding the bottom of the food chain, tattered by decades of industrial farming and unbridled development.

Recent work by the Yale Center for Business and the Environment showed similar benefits, but also flagged solar’s role in recharging local groundwater systems.

The native plants and pollinators usually planted around solar fields grow deep roots, and draw nutrients down into the soil, sequestering carbon and replenishing local aquifers.

I interviewed Dr. David Mulla of the University of Minnesota, who described researcher’s interest in placing solar fields over farmland in order to protect and refresh aquifers polluted by decades of pesticide and fertilizer runoff.

Dr. Mulla told me, “There’s a lot of interest in siting utility scale solar farms in drinking water source management areas, where there’s a history of nitrate leaching and pesticide leaching to groundwater, by taking that land out of row cropping and putting it into pollinator friendly habitat, really helps to reduce the risk to groundwater … we’re not adding fertilizers and pesticides any more.”

Dr Annick Anctil of Michigan State University, and Josh Pearce of Michigan Tech, told me that, contrary to oft repeated Facebook fables, utility scale solar fields have never contributed to contamination or toxic load to farm fields, crops, or groundwater. Given the composition of modern solar panels, it’s difficult to see a way that could happen.

In coming years, more solar systems will be placed on rooftops, brownfields, parking lots and elsewhere in urban areas. There are discussions to be had about the relative cost-effectiveness for each of those applications.

Legislative leaders should be encouraged to draw up regulatory structures that permit and incentivize those kinds of “Community Solar” development.

In the meantime, we face a planetary emergency from climate change, caused by burning fossil fuels, and we should continue with all speed deploying the cleanest energy options. 

Peter Sinclair is a Michigan-based climate activist, videographer, and contributor to Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.