Cultivating the coexistence of agriculture and solar farms https://t.co/IdwgbWdj4U #GrnBz via @morphizm @CivilEats @ilsr @ACEEEdc
— GreenBiz (@GreenBiz) April 13, 2017
Another great perk writing for the conscientious Civil Eats?
Greens from across the sociocultural spectrum sharing my data.
I was snowboarding in the Sierras, which is swollen with 200 percent of its annual snowpack, when the heads-up came in that GreenBiz graciously syndicated my Civil Eats analysis of solarization and agricultural infrastructure. It was like a cool drink of water in a parched state.
Check in, read up, zero out.
[MORE @ GREENBIZ]
Solar Farming Brings Benefits—and Concerns—to the Land
By now, most Americans have heard of solar farms. But how about solar farmers?
A quarter of California farms, nearly 2,000 altogether, are generating onsite solar energy, making it far and away the national leader, according to a 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) outlining the use of solar on farms. Hawaii, Colorado, and Texas count over 500 farms producing solar power, while Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, and Montana have over 200 each.
But how farmers are solarizing that land has become a point of contention. While some have chosen to install solar panels, pumps, coolers, heaters, and more to decarbonize their farm operations and downsize costs, others—sometimes controversially—have stopped planting crops altogether in favor of solar farms.
[MORE @ CIVIL EATS]
Getting Civil About Sustainable Eats, Starting With California
