How many are ENERGY Farming

[riptides]

Yet there's generally SOMETHING growing on the space.

Weeds and varmits come to mind.

It's a classic land use battle. And each one looks to be ending up in court. so far.

 

[MossRoad]

Another interesting read on the benefits of solar panels and vegetable crops.

Growing Crops Under Solar Panels? Now There’s a Bright Idea

In the new scientific (and literal) field of agrivoltaics, researchers are showing how panels can increase yields and reduce water use on a warming planet.

www.wired.com

 

[MossRoad]

Another field of research, development, education and jobs evolves...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrivoltaic

 

[Hay Dude]

Let's face it. It's the farmers that are selling the land for solar farms, industrial parks, housing developments, pretty much everything.

And has been profoundly professed on here year after year, is that people have a right to do with their property as they see fit.

So we could ask why are farmers so willing to sell or lease for these projects? Is it because they can't make a living at it? Is it because their kids want nothing to do with it? Is it because they realize they're working themselves to death and can make better, less stressful money by just selling/leasing it? Whole bunch of questions there.

I like the NW Indiana solar farm project because it's not some eminent domain project. It was brought to the 60 or so land owners by a private company and they are leasing the land. They will retain that land in their families. While 13,000 acres sounds huge, we have a friend that owns 10,000. 1 owner. This project is 60+ owners. And of that 13,000 acres, only approximately 2500 will be in solar panels. The rest is woods, wetlands, and crop lands. The spaces between the panels can be farmed for vegetables, berries, sheep grazing, and honey. By not tilling that soil every year, erosion issues are negated. By not farming that soil, pesticides and herbicides and fertilizer will not be entering the environment. Solar panels have a much lower impact on the ground underneath them than farming activities do.

But that doesn’t address my question about killing off green space. If our lands are to be controlled by governments regardingwhat are and are not allowed to be dome with them, why doesn’t government care if solar panels kill off life-giving vegetation below them? What other harmful effects happen to the soil below, both flora and fauna?
I’m more concerned about tax confiscation to construct solar/wind and the environmental impacts than a farmer willfully selling/leasing for solar/wind. At least in the latter, there’s no taxpayer wealth confiscation. Still don’t feel comfortable with covering green space with solar panels and killing birds/emitting whooshing sounds/foreign manufacturing issues related to solar panels and windmills.
A lot to be worked out. I dont care much about rooftop solar panels and put the windmills out in the oceans.

 

[Hay Dude]

Weeds and varmits come to mind.

It's a classic land use battle. And each one looks to be ending up in court. so far.

Also deer, bear, fox, wolf predator environments.

What happens to predatory birds (hawks, eagles, etc.) when you cover their hunting grounds with solar panels?

I bet it hastens the extinction of them.

 

[riptides]

Also deer, bear, fox, wolf predator environments.

What happens to predatory birds (hawks, eagles, etc.) when you cover their hunting grounds with solar panels?

I bet it hastens the extinction of them.

The issue is not one of conservation. My county has numerous programs available for easements surrounding that aspect. Some even pay a nice sum for removing the right to develop the land in perpetuity.

The issue is development, and in this case the rights of land owners affording them the opportunity to allow development on their land.

 

[riptides]

....
A lot to be worked out. I dont care much about rooftop solar panels and put the windmills out in the oceans.

I'd say windmills out in the ocean are less eco-friendly than those on land.

 

[orezok]

I believe 20-25 years and then the degradation of the panels makes them not productive anymore. I read somewhere that they degrade an average of 1-2% in total output year.

Far as decommissioning them and disposing of the panels in a hazardous landfill (they are considered hazardous waste, that is on an individual contract basis. Around here, usually the landowner is 100% responsible for remediation.

The people that out them up don't care, hell, they won't be around to deal with it anyway.

I guess that you didn’t read my post that my LG panels are warranted to produce 90.6% after 25 years.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Roof mounted solar panels make a lot of sense to me. My neighbor thought so too 8 years ago when he installed them. He changed his mind last year after he developed a roof leak. He had to dismantle the panel mounts to get to the leak and then found the installation voided the 40 year warranty on his shingles.

It got worse when the roofers broke one of the solar panels. The company that made them went out of business and he couldn't get a replacement to fit the roof mount. His once sleek looking roof now looks like the dog's breakfast. He now figures it will take almost 100 years for the installation to pay for itself.

 

[Hay Dude]

I'd say windmills out in the ocean are less eco-friendly than those on land.

Depends on migratory bird routes and how well they can hold up to salt air