Farmland & Photovoltaics: It Might Not Be What I Expected

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Doing analysis for my weblog, I sometimes learn the titles of nicely over 300 articles every day. There are some I feel are actually good, as practically all of these I discover at ClearTechnica are. However I typically discover articles I feel are trash, and this contains these decrying the usage of photovoltaics on farm fields as a result of such use takes farmland out of manufacturing. Possibly a few of these articles do embody references, however I don’t keep in mind seeing any that do. It additionally appears they by no means deal with things like agrivoltaics. And dangerous details about photovoltaics (PV) on farm fields is one thing I discover actually annoying.

To settle my thoughts, I typically sit down and work on mathematical puzzles. They aren’t normally the kinds of puzzles you would possibly discover in books or newspapers. Quite, they’re issues that may level to solutions to actual questions. I used to be sufficiently irritated by opinions put forth by individuals about changing fields to solar energy that I took on two questions: First, how a lot land could be wanted for sufficient photo voltaic PV to offer america with all of its vitality, together with electrical energy, warmth, transportation, business, and no matter else we use vitality for. And second, if we devoted that a lot land solely to PV, sited totally on farmland, what would the impact be on the quantity of our agricultural land.

I couldn’t simply discover a good quantity for the PV acreage wanted to produce all of the vitality used for the US. Additionally, there’s a variety of variation in estimates of acreage wanted to offer our electrical energy from PV. I had discovered that NREL had stated 10 million acres could be wanted to produce all of the electrical energy. (NREL PV FAQs) I began with a back-of-the-envelope calculation utilizing 11 million acres. Figuring out that about 37% of the US vitality was electrical energy, I divided that 11 million by 0.37. This gave a determine of about 30 million acres to produce all US vitality from PV.

That determine rang bells in my thoughts. For one factor, I had lately learn that the Bureau of Land Administration was considering of providing 31 million acres of public land for renewable improvement, in an article in POWER Magazine. I had additionally learn in one other current article at MSN that 30 million acres of farmland had gone out of manufacturing for the reason that Nineteen Eighties, and it was being thought-about for different makes use of, which presumably contains solar energy. Whereas neither of those addressed the query of what would occur to US farm land if we used 30 million acres purely for solar energy, they have been fascinating.

In my analysis, the quantity, 30 million acres, retains arising. (Karl Jung is likely to be trying over my shoulder.) I appeared to seek out what was comparable. The floodplain of the Mississippi River is about 30 million acres. The state of New York is a bit larger than 30 million acres, with variation relying on whether or not water is included or not.

As I used to be doing this, a thought got here to me. What number of acres are getting used for corn for ethanol? That is essential as a result of if all our vitality comes from photo voltaic, that may embody transportation, and there’ll not be a necessity for corn ethanol. It seems that 30.2 million acres is dedicated to corn for ethanol, based on Ethanol Producer Magazine.

That truth is a revelation. It implies that if we bought all our vitality from photo voltaic PV arrange on 30 million acres of farm land with out agrivoltaics or every other consideration for retaining land usable for agriculture, the quantity of farm land out there for rising meals may truly enhance.

Simply to verify my most essential figures, I sought a second opinion by operating the issue previous Stanford College Professor Mark Z. Jacobson, to seek out out whether or not my conclusion is sensible. Listed here are bits from his e-mail in reply:

Sure, your conclusion is appropriate, however I’d argue that agricultural land would enhance much more than you calculate.

I calculate 17.1 million acres are wanted for all U.S. vitality in 2050 after electrification of all vitality sectors.

…

(Upon) electrification, electrical energy necessities lower considerably as a result of effectivity of electrical energy over combustion (EVs, warmth pumps, and many others.) and eliminating vitality to mine/transport/refine fossils and uranium.

I ought to level out that I’m not proposing getting all our vitality by placing photo voltaic PV on farm land. The aim of this train was simply to know issues higher.

I wish to add one factor, which is an opinion of land use: what I need in my again yard. I spent a lot of my childhood in communities the place I may stroll to close by corn fields. I’ve lived in different rural areas. My first job was engaged on a farm. Land use is one thing I don’t take as a right.

Suppose I lived throughout the road from an deserted farm area. The farmer involves me to seek out out which of three issues I would like to see the land used for. The alternatives are a standard corn area, improvement for single unit homes on quarter acre heaps, or a big photo voltaic array. Which ought to I choose?

Personally, I’d ask that the standard corn area be dominated out. It is because a standard corn area is roofed with sufficient poisonous chemical compounds that I consider it as a poisonous waste dump that goes with out environmental protections. If I wish to protect the quiet life-style, I’d go for photo voltaic PV. And actually, they’re no extra boring than corn, however they’re quite a bit nicer to have a look at than naked soil within the spring and rows of stubble within the fall.

Picture: Corn area, by Gaspar Uhas through Unsplash