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re: What do you people have against solar farms?

Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:22 pm to
Posted by SWLA92
SWLA
Member since Feb 2015
5054 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:22 pm to
Yeah I understand that but let’s not forget the monopoly the electric companies have. They can put solar farms anywhere
Posted by Kingpenm3
Xanadu
Member since Aug 2011
9921 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:23 pm to
quote:

BFE


I promise you, this Gillis project is in bfe.
Posted by SWLA92
SWLA
Member since Feb 2015
5054 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:24 pm to
I’m not talking about Gillis. I know it is. I’m talking about other parts of the state
Posted by IcedOutBart
Houston
Member since Jul 2017
210 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:28 pm to
Well I know in rural LA they are taking up farm land which causes the other farm land to to become more expensive to lease. If you don’t own land as a farmer it’s hard as hell to make money.

I don’t necessarily blame the land owners who lease it because they are getting some $500-1000 per acre to lease. Hard to pass up considering you can’t make that farming or leasing.

Then when the 30 year leases are up on the farm land and we have better energy production that land can’t be used to farm anymore. It’s riddled with concrete and metal from all the shite they put on it.
Posted by moe1967
South Louisiana
Member since Jul 2023
382 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:28 pm to
I occasionally pass by a solar farm on my way to work. About 3 weeks ago the grass was at least 3 feet high. It was covering the bottom of the solar panels. This past Sunday I passed and the grass was finally cut.

From what I can see, the panels are bolted to a metal rack which are bolted to concrete footings in the ground.

Question is if the landowner wants to get rid of the panels who is responsible for the cost? It would take some serious $$$$ to clear all that out!
Posted by Maytheporkbewithyou
Member since Aug 2016
14153 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:30 pm to
quote:

Yeah I understand that but let’s not forget the monopoly the electric companies have. They can put solar farms anywhere


Electric utilities are only looking to make money. When the Fed makes it more incentivizes solar for the utilities and utility investors then they will shift that direction.

If they were serious about producing more energy then they would build more gas plants.
Posted by Kingpenm3
Xanadu
Member since Aug 2011
9921 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:30 pm to
quote:

How come they ain't pushing to cover parking lots with these instead of farmland?



I get that, but some of these farms are the equivalent of about 100,000 parking spots.
Posted by SWLA92
SWLA
Member since Feb 2015
5054 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:32 pm to
From what I understand this might be different from other companies, but the company locally after 30 years picks up and leaves the solar panels out there for the landowner to dispose of. Like I said other companies might be different.
Posted by BottomlandBrew
Member since Aug 2010
29898 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:32 pm to
quote:


These are the areas we should be looking to utilize for solar.


In 10 years or so you should start seeing glass in windows with integrated solar energy production. There are a few pilot projects out there that have shown good promise. They're still dialing in transparency and efficiency, but it's getting there. It's not much help for single-family homes, but large condo and office buildings could generate massive amounts of power.
Posted by CatfishJohn
Member since Jun 2020
20281 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:33 pm to
quote:

mao.

Look at a turbine array in a farmer’s field. He can farm up to the beauty ring of rock at the base of the stairs. He can still utilize 90% of his land.

A solar farm covers the land.

Idk anything about dams, never worked in hydroelectric. But I’ve built wind farms and I’ve built PV

He didn't say it was better for farming, he said it was better for the environment. Wind turbines frick up some bird populations bigly.

But I do know these solar cells require a lot of materials that aren't really good for the Earth to mine up. So I'm not taking a side, just pointing out you're talking about different things.
Posted by Lonnie Utah
Utah!
Member since Jul 2012
34518 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:33 pm to
quote:

Look at a turbine array in a farmer’s field. He can farm up to the beauty ring of rock at the base of the stairs. He can still utilize 90% of his land.

And then he can look at all the dead birds that the turbine blades kill. Windmills aren't kind to our bird populations.

And it also depends on where the farms are located. Often, when we think of these things we think about the conditions in our local area. But it's a big country with lots a landscapes and habitats. For example, I live in a state that gets close to 300 days of sunshine a year, but less than 15" of rain. So most of the land isn't useable for crops without significant irrigation. However, you can put a solar farm there and make it productive because solar doesn't need water. But would that be the best solution from Nebraska to Iowa where the wind blows all the time? Likely not. There is no one size fit all solution.

There are large sections of the intermountain west that look just like this that would be perfect for solar.







I'm not saying I'm for or against either technology, I'm just making note of the consequences for each.
This post was edited on 8/21/24 at 3:38 pm
Posted by BottomlandBrew
Member since Aug 2010
29898 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:34 pm to
quote:

I occasionally pass by a solar farm on my way to work. About 3 weeks ago the grass was at least 3 feet high. It was covering the bottom of the solar panels. This past Sunday I passed and the grass was finally cut.


Sounds like a good idea to combine sheep farming with solar farming. I'd be wary of goats because those frickers jump up on anything they can.
Posted by CatfishJohn
Member since Jun 2020
20281 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:35 pm to
quote:

They are trying to take away good farmland


Take it away? Or the land owners are selling it? Are they being eminent domained?
Posted by SWLA92
SWLA
Member since Feb 2015
5054 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:36 pm to
Landowners aren’t selling it. They are leasing it. After the lease is over the land is useless
Posted by CatfishJohn
Member since Jun 2020
20281 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:37 pm to
quote:

I occasionally pass by a solar farm on my way to work. About 3 weeks ago the grass was at least 3 feet high


If they're native grasses, this is a great thing for the environment. Would be smart of the landowners to ensure that.

Posted by CatfishJohn
Member since Jun 2020
20281 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:37 pm to
quote:

Landowners aren’t selling it. They are leasing it. After the lease is over the land is useless



Ok, back to my point. Who is taking good farm land away? Is anything being forced on landowners?
Posted by bayoudude
Member since Dec 2007
25907 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:38 pm to
They are hideous, ruin usable land and have the potential to be environmental disaster waiting to happen.
Posted by SWLA92
SWLA
Member since Feb 2015
5054 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:40 pm to
Not getting forced. Landowner is just collecting a check I can’t blame the landowner. Last time I checked the population isn’t decreasing. So taking away valuable farmland will only deminish the food source. You want to get all our food from China?
Posted by LSURussian
Member since Feb 2005
134913 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:40 pm to
quote:

What do you people have against solar farms?
Solar farms suck up all the solar energy in the area which causes wide spread crop failures and below freezing temperatures near the solar farms year round.

Texas A&M published a scientific study on the science of this phenomena several years ago...
Posted by Huntinguy
Member since Mar 2011
1865 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 3:41 pm to
I understand that on the one in Morehouse Parish, they switched it into the grid on Christmas morning causing voltage surges in the surrounding community.

Then took no responsibility for ruined electronics.

No (minimal) local jobs. Not a viable sustainable way to produce electricity without subsidies, cleanup costs unknown or undefined and require minerals and metals that require extensive mines to create.
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