Organized opposition, often funded by fossil fuel interests, has unquestionably helped stoke such resistance to renewable energy. But in rural communities, the lingering perception that large-scale solar installations are overtaking the landscape can also come from a place of good faith.
Without doubt, the vast majority of utility-scale solar fields in the state — about 34,000 out of 40,000 acres — are on agricultural land, according to the report. Arrays that have replaced crops and trees are often visible from the road, since that puts them closer to power lines and substations, creating a starker perception of loss. And in some places — especially in wide, flat eastern North Carolina — the concentration of large-scale solar on farmland is substantially higher than the statewide figure. In Halifax County, for instance, solar takes up a full 1% of agricultural land and is on pace to triple its share in the next few years, according to the Center for Energy Education, a local nonprofit.
But despite concerns about its footprint, solar can also help rural communities — to say nothing of its benefits for the climate. Even with the incentives Dixon seeks to abolish, counties are earning vastly more property tax revenue from farmland with solar than from farmland without, researchers say.
Plus, farmers who lease their land for panels have reported earning about $750 to $1,400 per acre per year, according to the report. That steady income can provide a critical supplement to the boom-and-bust revenue inherent in raising crops and animals. That’s one reason Halifax retreated from a proposal last year that would have effectively prohibited new projects: Elected officials heard from constituents who said they would have lost their family farmland but for solar.
Some in the state’s farming community are also enthusiastic about the promise of agrivoltaics, which would allow them to collect revenue from solar while using the land underneath photovoltaic panels for crops, pollinator-friendly plants, or grazing.
Even so, many in the state’s powerful $111 billion agricultural industry remain deeply skeptical of solar. Their distrust is likely exacerbated by decades of bitter battle with environmental advocates — some of the same groups promoting clean energy — over pollution from hog and poultry factory farms.
Jerry Carey, market intelligence specialist for the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association and another contributor to the report, came face-to-face with some of those skeptics when presenting the findings at a recent meeting with “influential farmers.”
“They’re willing to have a conversation. But they don’t want to hear the numbers. They know what they know. They know what they see,” Carey said. As for the dream of agrivoltaics, he added, “One guy literally said, ‘I don’t want to hear about bees and butterflies.’”
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Great Job Elizabeth Ouzts & the Team @ Canary Media Source link for sharing this story.
