There is a raging debate in the U.S whether solar farms should be encouraged.  There are those who feel that by encouraging farmers to switch to solar harvesting for energy and profits, in place of growing food, the food sector will eventually be diminished and this is a grave danger to food security.

On the other hand, there are those who argue from the profit perspective – they too have their facts. They contend that farmers stand to earn more when they use their farms to produce solar energy than when they use it to grow food.

What is clear is that as climate change troubles the US and elsewhere around the globe, solar farms are being presented as a mitigation solution. 

Once a darling of sustainability enthusiasts, solar energy production is now under the scrutiny of food security crusaders – and this is important. 

Let’s explore what’s happening. 

Land use: solar, like crops, require land

Similar to food farming, solar farms require huge tracts of land to install solar panels and generate sufficient energy.

According to Taylor Freitas, it takes an average of between 20 panels and 25 panels to offset the utility bills of an average household using solar energy alone. If a single household will need an average of 20 panels to power the entire house, then it is appropriate to anticipate a single solar farm to cover a significant tract of productive land to power an entire town or region in the United States.

Most solar farms are usually established on productive land that might otherwise be useful for food farming. 

Critics of solar farms argue that productive land that is essential for food farming is not only becoming scarce with the rise of solar farms but also might contribute to food insecurity in the future if not properly addressed. 

In the battle to build the biggest solar power farm in the US that was conceived in 2022, it was estimated that the solar panels would have to occupy an area that is equivalent to the size of West Virginia for the US to achieve its net zero carbon emissions. 

It’s such enormous size of land that solar farms will require that makes food insecurity a likely prospect in the future if plans to develop solar farms were to continue at the current pace. 

Environmental impact of solar farming

It is widely established that solar farms are a contributing factor to the loss of native vegetation where solar installations are significantly abundant. 

The U.S. Department of Energy has already established that the construction of solar farms is known to alter the composition of the soil underneath due to the clearing and grading of land that is required. 

Changing the composition of the soil during the construction of solar facilities in agricultural land is not only reducing the chances of the land being productive in the future but also destroying the ability of the native vegetation to grow again. With this in mind, solar farms are also a threat to the ecosystem in the long run.

Construction of solar farms in agricultural land is also likely to affect the water supply within the specific area where the farms are located. This will not only affect food farming in nearby farmland but also impact the ecosystem as a result. 

A research initiative into the effect of solar panels on cultivated land through rain concentration and sheltering found that solar panels built over cultivated plots have been known to interfere with rainfall redistribution in farmland areas. This affects the water supply to the cultivated crops underneath the solar panels and the productivity of the farmland in the long term.

Economic prospects of solar farming

While the intention to install solar farms is grounded on a good cause, food farming is also a vital activity that is necessary for the survival of the economies in the long run. 

People need sufficient food sources to survive and thrive in an otherwise complex society where the debate between climate change and solar farms reigns supreme. How should climate change mitigation initiatives be carried out successfully while sustaining essential systems, like food and agriculture? 

A research article that investigates the efficiency of growing crops in solar farms reveals that global food demands are expected to rise by 50 percent by 2050 as an anticipated 10 billion people will rely on agriculture as their only viable food source. Therefore, building solar farms on agricultural land is likely to slow down food production, a prospect that might also lead to food insecurity by 2050. This is worrying.

Although solar farms are an alternative source of income for most land owners, it also complicates income opportunities for farmers that depend on agriculture to support their families. 

Unlike most farmers, land owners where solar farms are likely to replace food farms will be forced to settle for long-term agreements with fixed payment structures that might end up reducing employment opportunities for those that depend on farming for sustenance.

Studies into such arrangements have found that long-term agreements that are based on a fixed payment structure synonymous with solar farming contracts tend to limit the income opportunities of farmers and landowners alike. 

The limitation of income opportunities in solar farming is a major threat to the growth of the economy.

Quick facts worth knowing about solar farming include: 

What are the negative effects of solar farms?

• Solar farms require large tracts of land to install solar panels and generate the amount of energy needed to offset household utility bills, thus, taking away productive farmland that is vital for food farming.
• The construction of solar facilities requires clearing and grading of land, which tend to alter the composition of the soil. 
• Solar farms affect rain redistribution and alter the water supply needed that is important  for food farming.
• Compared to food farming, farmers are exposed to fixed incomes from solar farming, thereby, limiting economic growth in the long run.

Is solar farming profitable?

In the USA, solar farms are not yet as profitable as food farming since solar farming is still a niche market. However, solar farms are anticipated to be profitable since they are immune to hyperbolic declines in production and their leases are long-term with a fixed rental contract that runs up to 20 years.

How can solar projects avoid land-use conflict?

The best way as of now is to avoid land-use conflict with food farmers by adopting agrivoltaic farming methods. Under agrivoltaic farming, crops can be grown underneath solar panels, thereby, reducing land-use conflict.