Although solar and wind farms require less land than some rival non-fossil-fuel power sources (such as biomass burning), they require MORE land than fossil fuels. Using agricultural or forested land has become a problem throughout the world. This article reviews ways to reduce the impact of solar farms through building solar farms on old industrial, brownfield sites, and decommissioned landfills; installing floating solar panels on existing lakes behind dams; growing forage crops such as alfalfa and hay in the gaps between solar panels; grazing sheep in rows between solar panels; incorporating crops that require afternoon shade; and forbidding solar farms on top of peat deposits, prime ag land, and replacing forest with panels. Building floating wind farms in deeper waters can avoid much of the killing that occurs when birds fly into the structures, particularly at night.
‘Green Grab’: Solar and Wind Boom Sparks Conflicts on Land Use – Yale e360
