Solar is one way we can become energy independent in MICHIGAN, but as a relatively new concept, there are many questions and concerns about its safety and its economic and environmental consequences.
Here are answers to some common questions about solar.
Don’t Solar Installations Use Valuable Farmland?
To start a solar farm, the ideal place is large tracts of cleared, flat land; in other words, farmland. Currently, according to the USDA, over 90 million acres of the farmland in the US is planted in corn. Thirty million acres of that corn (one third) is used to produce ethanol that is used for automotive fuel. (Corn is America’s Largest Crop in 2019 | USDA). According to the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) it would take approximately 11.6 million acres of just solar panels to power the entire US, including cars. (How much solar would it take to power the U.S.? (freeingenergy.com). This means by totally electrifying our society, including transportation, we would be returning approximately 19 million acres in the US to food production.
In essence, if you want more farmland to be used for food production, solar farms are one way to achieve that goal. There are other advantages for farmland use for solar production. First, there is the economy of scale. Use of large tracts of farmland for solar results in electricity at half the cost per GWH than rooftop solar (Study by Brattle Economists Quantifies the Benefits of Utility-Scale Solar PV – Brattle).
Will Solar Installations Hurt Property Values?
Property values are stable near solar installations. Solar energy in rural areas is being developed in response to harmful global warming. There has an effect on land and land values due to unrestrained climate disruption. Residents and businesses are stepping up to solve this problem.
When a utility-scale solar development is proposed, there is sometimes a question of how this will affect property values. Many owners of smaller properties nearby say the reason they moved into the “country” is that they loved the views of a farming community.
Most solar developers are sensitive to this criticism. Planners include vegetative barriers to block out the view of solar panels. Now, almost all proposed solar development companies include green barriers in their plans.
Property-Value Impacts Near Utility-Scale Solar Installations (lbl.gov) is an extensive study by the University of Texas at Austin. Researchers found no property values were affected due to nearby solar farms. However, a University of Rhode Island study (Solar’s Impact On Rural Property Values | AgWeb) showed nearby solar farms had an effect on property values near cities but not on rural property values.
Can Agrivoltaics Actually Improve Farming?
The University of Arizona Research, Innovation &
Impact Study involves solar energy production and
agriculture practiced on the same piece of land. Initially
this started out with sheep grazing beneath the
solar panels set a bit higher off the ground. Now they
are experimenting with vegetable production!
Benefits were also found in a study done by Oregon
State University (Sustainable Farm Agrivoltaic |
College of Agricultural Sciences; oregonstate.edu). Increased production was seen in crops needing partial
shading. Even crops that like full sunlight have a limit
on how much sun they can use as they increase in
size. Properly spaced solar panels harvesting energy
from the sun were found to keep plants healthy. Too
much sun causes plants to sweat, so more water is
needed to keep them healthy.
Luckily, solar panels help conserve water—a big benefit
in a water hungry world especially since agriculture
is responsible for 85% of water use. While energy
is being harvested from solar panels, the plants grow
under them keep those panels cooler increasing their
efficiency by 10%!
Do Solar Panels Emit EMFs?
Occasionally, people voice concerns about EMF’s (electromagnetic fields) coming from solar installations on land, such as farmland, near them. All electronic devices emit an electromagnetic field. The strength of the EMF drops dramatically in a short distance from the emitting device.
The legal “setbacks” or distance from solar panels installed on land are far enough away from homes to eliminate any danger from EMF’s (Electric & Magnetic Fields; nih.gov).
Transmission lines are the other possible concern when a solar installation is sited near homes. Many of these are buried underground thus eliminating the danger from this source. If the line is above ground, a distance of 200 feet eliminates any possible harmful risk from EMFs.
In “15 Common Household Appliances That Emit EMF Radiation,” EMF Empowerment reported research has shown harm from EMFs is questionable even at closer distances. Devices in your home likely cause a greater exposure to EMFs for people than a nearby solar farm would!