Opinion | A smart solar approach can help find common ground

The Energy Department estimates the United States will need more than 10 million acres to scale up solar energy by 2050, and American Farmland Trust projects more than 80 percent could be sited on agricultural lands.

We need both renewable energy and productive farms and ranches. Smart solar can be the solution. It guides solar development to where it has the least negative impact on land well-suited for farming, ensures that land where projects are sited can be farmed in the future and promotes “agrivoltaic” solar projects to create opportunities for farming and solar energy on the same land.

Although ideological and other objections exist, the benefits of smart solar outweigh the risks. A smart solar approach can help find common ground to continue solar development while protecting our best farmland and support our rural communities long-term.

The writer is president and chief executive of American Farmland Trust.

It is understandable that folks would take a NIMBY attitude toward large-scale renewable energy projects. Concentrated wind and solar energy projects are driven by an economy of scale and a centralized energy distribution point. They also profit large development companies, which can influence policy decisions.

Wind turbines make sense on open lands where the resource is greatest and where they generally don’t disturb the existing ecosystem. On the other hand, solar-panel placement should be prioritized on every rooftop or paved parking lot where we already have taken over the land.

I do take issue with folks in our beautiful farm country calling for cities to generate their own power. They are more than happy to accept farm subsidies, Medicare and Social Security checks, mostly funded by our city/rural economic mismatch.

Our political and social structure is premised on growth rather than sustainability. Dealing with our climate crisis and many other social ills is like the doctor who prescribes pills to treat symptoms, rather than determining the cause of your illness.