Land Use Conflicts Between Wind and Solar Renewable Energy and Agricultural Uses
21 Pages Posted: 25 Feb 2022 Last revised: 6 Apr 2022
Date Written: January 1, 2022
Abstract
The terms “solar farm” and “wind farm” could not more perfectly demonstrate the inevitable pairing of renewable energy and agriculture as uses of land. At the same time, harvesting the sun and wind and converting both to energy forms usable to mankind are far from traditional agricultural practices. This paper first reviews the issues arising between renewable energy and agriculture when siting the two uses, highlights results of research on the status of state laws in place that weigh the interests of renewables and use of agricultural lands, and compiles recommendations from existing laws, recent state bills, as well as leading resources on siting renewables on agricultural lands, including model code language.
This paper was first published by the National Agricultural Law Center and is also available from their website: https://nationalaglawcenter.org/center-publications/renewableenergy/#solarfarm
Keywords: land use, wind, solar, agriculture, solar farm, wind farm, renewable energy
JEL Classification: K10, Q15, Q4
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation