Agrivoltaic projects could help US farmers hurt by Trump tariffs
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/04/05/agrivoltaics-to-rescue-us-farmers-from-ron-vara/
Global #GolfCourses take up more land than #solar, wind plants
Researchers say the 10 countries with the most golf courses could install up to 842 GW of utility-scale solar or 659 GW of wind capacity on land equivalent in size to that used for the sport.
by Patrick Jowett, February 24, 2025
"There is more land taken up by golf courses across the world than by solar or wind energy plants, according to the findings of a new study.
"The research paper, 'Countries across the world use more land for golf courses than wind or solar energy,' was recently published in Environmental Research Communications. The researchers used the OpenStreetMap database to locate 38,400 golf courses in the world, of which 80% are located in the 10 countries with the most courses.
"The United States tops the list, with more than 16,000 golf courses, followed by the United Kingdom (around 3,100) and Japan (around 2,700). Canada, Australia, Germany, South Korea, France, China and Sweden round out the top 10 countries.
"The research team calculated that the renewable energy potential of the land taken up by golf courses and found that these 10 countries could install between 281 GW and 842 GW of utility-scale solar on 25% to 75% of the golf courses’ land area.
"The research paper said the 75% figure exceeds the 646 GW of cumulative solar capacity currently installed in these 10 countries. In comparison, the 10 countries could install between 174 GW and 659 GW of onshore wind across the golf course areas, depending on spacing.
"The researchers said that golf courses typically require large amounts of water and chemical treatments, while renewable energy installations offer a sustainable land use option. They said utility-scale solar farms require approximately 0.01 square km of land per megawatt, while wind farms require around 0.12 square km of land per megawatt.
"The researchers said their findings 'underscore the untapped potential of rethinking land use priorities to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.'
"The lead author of the study, Jann Weinand of German research institute Forschungszentrum Jülich, emphasized that the study is not advocating for the direct conversion of golf courses, but rather aims to highlight the vast renewables potential of similarly large and underutilized areas.
"'In light of the ongoing debates about land use for renewables, it is crucial to consider how we allocate land overall – especially when significant space is dedicated to activities that benefit only a limited segment of the population,' added Weinand."
Source:
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/02/24/global-golf-courses-take-up-more-land-than-solar-wind-plants/
#Windfarms #Solarfarms #GolfCourses #SolarPunkSunday
Um, what did I post about #GolfCourses the other day? Water wasting, pesticide-laden... WHO NEEDS IT?!!! #Rewilding, #SolarFarms, ANYTHING BUT! Let the poor starve, but keep whacking those balls, eh?!
#Pentagon Keeps Pouring Cash Into Golf Courses — Even As Trump Slashes Government Spending
The Pentagon owns 145 golf courses. As #Trump cuts key government services, we found it aims to spend on sand traps and clubhouses.
https://theintercept.com/2025/03/10/pentagon-spending-golf-courses-trump-budget-cuts-elon-musk-doge/
#USPol #DOGE #DOGECity #DOGETargets #BadDOGE #MadKingTrump
"We found that the number of birds on the mixed-habitat solar farms was typically twice that of the intensively managed sites, and three times higher than adjacent high-yielding cropland. The number of species on mixed-habitat solar farms was 2.5 times higher than both of the alternatives"
#SolarFarms #Wildlife #Birds #Environment #ClimateEmergency
Solar farms can host up to three times as many birds as crop fields – new research
https://theconversation.com/solar-farms-can-host-up-to-three-times-as-many-birds-as-crop-fields-new-research-249551
#Solarfarms are booming in the #US and putting thousands of hungry #sheep to work
#Solar industry has found unlikely mascot in sheep as large-scale solar farms crop up across US.
#SBEnergy operates 5th-largest solar project in the country, capable of generating 900MW of #electricity across 4,000 acres. How do they manage all that grass? With the help of about 3,000 sheep, which are better suited than lawnmowers to fit between small crevices and chew away rain or shine.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/solar-farms-booming-us-putting-thousands-hungry-sheep-117844705
Five #solarfarms come online in #Maine, slashing #electricity costs
Located in Franklin, Aroostook, Penobscot, and Washington Counties, these #solar farms serve customers in Versant Power and Central Maine Power territories. Residential households and businesses that subscribe will save up to 15% on their electricity bills while supporting Maine’s transition to #cleanenergy.
https://electrek.co/2024/12/19/five-solar-farms-come-online-in-maine/
"Elsewhere in the state, tracts of old-growth oak have been clearcut to make way for utility-scale solar farms."
#CharlesEisenstein, 2023
https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/p/how-the-environmental-movement-can
WTSF?!?
@heretical_i #SolarFarms don't really negatively affect #FoodSecurity https://solarenergyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Briefing-Solar-Farms-Food-Security_The-Facts_Sept2022.pdf - we'd do a lot better for food security by eating fewer animal products and switching some of the land we use to grow animal feed over to growing human food. But I agree that we have far more good urban roof space to put solar panels on than we're currently using instead of putting them on dedicated rural land - a big part of the problem with say putting panels on public buildings is that community
6,000 #sheep will soon be grazing on 10,000 acres of… | Canary Media https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/6-000-sheep-will-soon-be-grazing-on-10-00-acres-of-texas-solar-fields “JR Howard of #TexasSolarSheep can’t buy sheep fast enough. He supplies them to #SolarFarms, where their grazing keeps grass short for less than the cost of mowing it. Demand for his animals has skyrocketed over the past few years as more and more large solar installations are being built. Now Howard is scrambling to fulfill his biggest order yet”
More of this, please...!
Feds pick #Hanford #nuclear site for massive #SolarFarm
By Conrad Swanson
July 25, 2024
"While Washington struggles to contend with surging demand for electricity, federal officials on Thursday announced plans for a massive solar farm on the Hanford nuclear site.
"The U.S. Department of Energy is negotiating a real estate deal with Chicago-based #HecateEnergy, which would build a solar farm across 8,000 acres of federally owned lands on the heavily #polluted site.
"If built as planned, the project would have the ability to generate up to a gigawatt of renewable energy, and would rank among the largest solar installations in the country. That’s about enough energy to power half of Seattle City Light’s customers during record peak demand.
"The project would also include #battery storage, which is a critical component that allows electricity generated by solar power to be used at times when the sun isn’t shining.
"Producing #RenewableEnergy at the #HanfordSite would mark a substantial new chapter for the land.
"The site covers 560 square miles, nearly half the size of Rhode Island, said Sean O’Brien, executive director of the renewable nonprofit Energy Forward Alliance. For decades, the government made plutonium for nuclear weapons there.
"Despite its history — and contamination — large swaths of the site are not #radioactive, O’Brien said. And local organizations like his and the Tri-City Development Council share a vision for the place to be a national hub of clean energy generation.
"The solar array and battery storage would make up just one portion, albeit a large one, of the site’s renewable energy potential, Reeploeg and O’Brien said.
"The partnership between federal officials and Hecate — representatives for which could not immediately be reached for comment — could sidestep major hurdles these types of massive projects face, said Glenn Blackmon, manager of Washington’s Energy Policy Office."
#EnergyTransition: Puerto Rico could soon build its biggest #solar and grid battery plants https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/puerto-rico-could-soon-build-its-biggest-solar-and-grid-battery-plants
"#SolarEnergy in #PuertoRico has just received a $861 million boost from the #Biden-#Harris federal government... The 2 #SolarFarms are expected to provide 200 MW total, enough to power 43,000 homes, while a pair of battery systems will provide up to 285 MW of #EnergyStorage capacity... The project marks the latest step toward the territory’s goal of switching to 100% #renewables"
Labour's #EdMiliband has announced “rooftop revolution” today that will see millions more homes fitted with #SolarPanels as well as approving 3 #SolarFarms blocked by the Tories that will deliver about two-thirds of the solar energy installed on rooftops and on the ground in the whole of last year.
"The #solar panels can also assume an almost vertical position when farm equipment needs to past by. Farmers who host the array would not have to invest in specialized equipment to continue farming.
Solar developers have been encountering a wave of opposition to rural solar arrays. However, the #agrivoltaics trend has taken some of the steam out of the argument against using farmland to generate electricity."
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/06/25/the-unstoppable-force-of-agrivoltaics-now-with-tiltable-solar-panels/
#SolarFarms
Weatherwatch: how #SolarFarms benefit #bees and #butterflies | #Biodiversity | The Guardian
An unexpected benefit.
People worry about solar farms tying up agricultural land that could be producing crops. However, the shade produced by panels can be ideal for growing some crops, including hops!
#GoodNews #Solar #PV #SolarFarms #Panels #Agriculture #Shade
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-hops-germany-east-africa-bavaria-b2379825.html
Research from Europe has shown large #solar farms can enhance the diversity and abundance of plants, grasses, #butterflies, #bees and #birds.
What’s more, vegetation between solar panel rows can also provide travel corridors, nesting sites and shelter for #wildlife. Management strategies are key to maximizing these benefits of solar farms.
https://theconversation.com/win-win-how-solar-farms-can-double-as-havens-for-our-wildlife-194920
