Abstract
By 2050, solar energy is expected to provide 45 percent of the electricity consumed in the USA. Most of this solar electricity is expected to come from utility-scale solar projects that each cover anywhere from 10 to thousands of hectares. In all, solar panels could cover as many as four million hectares. Where those panels would be located is uncertain, but predictions are that most of these solar projects would likely occur on agricultural land. Several opportunities and obstacles exist for solar development. The USA has abundant farmland to support solar projects, and the federal government is offering attractive investment tax credits for solar developers over the following 12 years. Yet there is a critical need to expand transmission lines and upgrade the electrical grid to connect new solar projects. Moreover, local governments currently hold the power to decide whether to allow large solar projects, and, if so, where and at what size. Agrivoltaics, which combine in-ground solar panels with the growing of crops, pollinators, and livestock, offer some potential for producing both food and solar electricity. How these many opportunities and obstacles play out will determine the pace and extent of utility-scale solar deployment in the USA.
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Notes
A megawatt is a measure of power equal to one million watts, and able to provide electricity to about 190 homes, though the definition of utility-scale solar varies somewhat from state to state (SEIA 2022a).
A gigawatt is a unit of electricity equal to one billion watts, able to power 750,000 homes (Dellinger 2021).
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This research was funded in part by a grant from the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, University of Pennsylvania.
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Professor Daniels was the sole author and sole contributor to the conception and design of this reflective essay. He performed the collection and analysis of the literature cited. He alone wrote the first draft of the manuscript and responded to reviewers’ comments and approved the manuscript.
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Thomas Daniels is an editorial board member of Socio-Ecological Practice Research. He was not involved in the peer-review or handling of the manuscript, and has no other competing interests to disclose.
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Daniels, T.L. The development of utility-scale solar projects on US agricultural land: opportunities and obstacles. Socio Ecol Pract Res 5, 205–213 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-023-00139-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-023-00139-9