Solar farms on cropland deliver energy, environmental, and health benefits all in one
A new report by Clean Wisconsin reveals that integrating solar energy projects into farmland significantly benefits the local environment and public health. Solar farms can replace traditional row crops such as corn and soybeans, which are known to cause topsoil loss and water pollution due to chemical runoff.
According to the Solar Farm Impact Analysis, converting conventional farmland into solar farms with deep-rooted, perennial vegetation can reduce sediment and phosphorus runoff into nearby rivers and lakes by 75% to 95%. This also improves water quality and prevents soil erosion.
Solar farms support soil health by increasing carbon sequestration by 65%. They also offer better habitats for pollinators, increasing habitat quality by 300%. With pollinators in decline, this improvement is critical for biodiversity.
“In Wisconsin, solar projects are being sited on agricultural land, which is attractive to developers as it is clear of trees and relatively flat,” said Clean Wisconsin Science Program Director Paul Mathewson. “Intensive annual row crop agriculture in Wisconsin is a primary contributor to topsoil loss and many of Wisconsin’s most pressing water quality problems, including contamination of drinking water from nitrates and pesticides and pollution of lakes and rivers from phosphorus and soil erosion. When this land use is replaced with a solar farm that maintains perennial grassland cover and requires no fertilizer additions, we can see a net increase in local environmental quality, which is what this report really highlights.”
“We know that large-scale solar farms are now among the cheapest ways to produce energy in Wisconsin,” said Mathewson. “But this underscores the public health costs we’ve been shouldering for decades because of air pollution caused by burning coal and gas. Solar can finally help us begin to eliminate those health harms and costs.”
Replacing fossil fuel-based power with solar also provides health benefits. The report finds public health savings of 5 to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, exceeding the 3 to 4 cent cost of solar energy production.
Overall, solar integration into farmland promotes sustainable farming, improves public health, and helps meet clean energy targets in a cost-effective and eco-friendly way.
Photo Credit: stock-shansekala