If you’re an agricultural landowner, you may be considering installing solar panels on your property. A growing number of rural property owners are building solar arrays to supplement their income and transition to renewable energy. This increase in solar development in rural areas has led to concerns about protecting farmland, especially when it comes to large-scale solar installations. Alex Roberts-Pierel, a project developer at ReVision Energy, says that when installed responsibly, solar and farming can work well together.
Here’s how:
Installing solar panels is a temporary use of land that helps protect farmland for future generations. Solar projects have minimal impact on land quality, and states require solar companies to work with civil and environmental engineers to make sure projects follow regulations that protect natural resources and minimize impact on the surrounding environment.
Property owners can restore solar installation sites to farmland at the end of the project’s 30 – 35 year lifespan. (That’s generally how long solar panels are in good working condition.) This is possible because:
When looking at the amount of land solar takes up in New England, the actual acreage is also minimal. As of 2022, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts had about 2,103,000 acres of prime farmland. If all existing solar projects in New England were built on that farmland alone, they would cover less than three percent of it – showing that solar is not a major driver of farmland loss in these states. Compared to the permanent land impact of commercial buildings, the land footprint of solar projects is insignificant.
Not only are the land impacts minor, but Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts all require large-scale ground-mount solar projects to have decommissioning plans. These plans make sure that once a project reaches the end of its life, the developer removes all equipment, restores the land, and minimizes any erosion. Developers must provide financial assurance (like bonds or letters of credit), so landowners and towns won’t be stuck with the cost of cleanup if the developer goes out of business. This assurance makes the solar land lease even more beneficial to farmers.
In a land lease, farmers continue to own their land and receive predictable monthly payments, helping them stabilize their finances and enhance the long-term viability of their farm. The entire installation process, from construction to maintenance to decommissioning, is hands-off for the landowner. Alex describes these solar arrays as “quiet, environmentally-friendly neighbors who go away after 30 years.”
Farmers can further benefit by exploring agrivoltaics practices, like grazing animals, growing crops, or beekeeping among the panels, to keep using their land for agriculture while generating clean energy. Take it from Michael Dennet, a sheep farmer who has grazed his sheep among many of ReVision’s municipal solar arrays: sheep love to relax in the shade solar panels provide during the summer.
Evelyn Norton, a second-generation Mainer whose family leased their farmland to ReVision, describes the financial benefits best. “It takes the pressure off you. The taxes are covered and repairs to the buildings are covered. It gives us that security, that we can make different choices.”
It’s important to note that ReVision always prioritizes rooftops for installations – it’s usually cheaper, easier, and doesn’t take up any land. Brownfield sites – disturbed property that may need to be cleaned up from prior contamination – are also prioritized. However, brownfield projects are typically more complicated and expensive to develop. Building on these sites often requires unique designs for complex conditions, like landfill caps or contamination, which drives up costs. The permitting process takes longer and costs more, and developers may also have to handle environmental cleanup to prepare the site.
While some states have introduced legislation to protect farmland and promote brownfield site development, certain policies – like a recent one in Maine – unfairly target solar projects. The new rule imposes additional fees on developers installing solar on prime farmland, on top of existing decommissioning and permitting costs. This measure effectively penalizes solar, while commercial buildings that permanently alter the land face no such charges. Lindsay Bourgoine, ReVision Energy’s Director of Policy and Government affairs says, “These rules sadly penalize farmers who seek to utilize a portion of their land for solar, and as we know, that revenue diversification can often enable the farmer to maintain operations.”
Instead of advancing such restrictions, she advocates for policies that encourage solar development on both rooftops and contaminated lands.
“Maine is taking big steps forward in advancing solar energy on brownfields, which is exciting,” she says, noting the state approved a ruling in August that prioritizes projects on contaminated land, effectively balancing solar installations with responsible land use.
Achieving a livable future for our planet depends on meeting our climate goals, which require a major expansion of renewable energy development. While we can prioritize rooftops and contaminated lands, our energy transition will require some greenfield development. Fortunately, solar projects can be designed to coexist with agriculture, driving forward the transition to clean energy and ensuring farmland protection for years to come. As Alex puts it, “The best thing we can do is find responsible uses of open space to build enough solar to make a difference.”
