The U.S. is building more solar farms than ever. But as projects expand, they're also raising questions about where they belong. A new industry analysis suggests one of the biggest concerns — that solar is consuming too much prime farmland — may be overstated, especially in the American West.
The Solar Energy Industries Association found that utility-scale solar occupies less than one-tenth of 1% of the nation's prime farmland — areas considered most suitable for growing crops. It also found the West uses the smallest share of that land for utility-scale solar of any region in the country.
"There's zero states where solar uses more than half a percent of prime farmland," said Sean Gallagher, the trade group's senior vice president of policy. "In fact, nearly every state has more abandoned prime farmland than it has prime farmland on which solar has been developed."
However, Gallagher said those findings shouldn't be interpreted as a reason to dismiss concerns from rural residents.
"We want developers to be sensitive to rural communities and to take rural citizens' concerns into account when they're developing their projects," he said. "But we also have to be realistic about the impact that solar is having in rural communities."
Across the West, proposals for utility-scale solar often generate debate over local character, agricultural land, wildlife habitats, and public lands. Gallagher said the report isn't arguing that every proposed solar project belongs where it's planned. Instead, he said, it's intended to provide more context about solar's overall footprint on agricultural areas.
To help put the findings in perspective, the analysis compares solar with other land uses. Gallagher said golf courses occupy roughly two and a half times more prime farmland nationwide than utility-scale solar.
The findings come as utilities across the West are looking for new sources of electricity to meet rising demand, including growth from data centers and other energy-intensive industries.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between KUNR, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona, and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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