Solar panels provide power – and shade.

Solar garden above vegetable garden saves landAs the demand for energy increases, many are turning to solar power for a cheaper, cleaner energy alternative. The pros of solar power are vast, but the negative impacts on our remaining natural areas are beginning to grow. If our country wants to reduce greenhouse emissions by 80% of 1990 emissions in the coming decades, nearly 27,500 square miles of land could be needed for solar installations. That’s the size of South Carolina!

It appears that farmers can help keep solar panels from paving over our natural environment. A new study assessed the siting locations of 161 random California solar energy facilities and nearly 30% of the solar installations surveyed were located over croplands and pastures. Farmers are harvesting a new crop – energy.

Farmers in California aren’t the only ones. Michael Paduch, a cranberry bog farmer in Carver, Massachusetts, was concerned about the future of his farm when the retail price of berries dropped so low that the cost of growing his crop squeezed his profits. He decided to use four acres of his land and install solar arrays over his cranberry bogs. Not only does his crop thrive in the shade provided by the panels, he is now generating enough energy to power more than 100 homes!

Paduch illustrates a rare instance where he can both continue to farm, while covering his farmland with solar. Maybe you can urge your local farmer to consider this renewable energy option.