By Blake Jackson
A new study shows that many New York farmers who sign large-scale solar leases plan to reinvest the income into their agricultural operations rather than scale them back.
According to the research, farmers were three times more likely to say they would use solar lease revenue to strengthen their farms than to reduce their farming activities. In addition, nearly half of the farmers who signed leases indicated that they do not intend to change their current agricultural practices.
The findings challenge the common belief that farmers abandon agriculture when offered profitable solar development agreements. The study was based on survey responses from 584 landowners in three New York counties considered highly suitable for large-scale solar projects.
Participants owned at least 30 acres of rural, agricultural, or vacant land located near transmission lines or substations. Researchers found that nearly half of the respondents had been approached by solar developers. While farmers were twice as likely as non-farmers to receive lease offers, they were less likely to sign them.
“People have been talking about this for a long time, but nobody had asked quantitatively: For farmers, if you sign a lease, what do you intend to do?” said principal investigator Richard Stedman, professor and interim director of the Cornell CALS Ashley School in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“It’s a reasonable conclusion from this study: Large-scale solar does not appear to be the death of farming.”
Researchers noted that social factors play an important role in the development of renewable energy projects. “If we don’t do the social science and take into account the social factors, estimates of where these facilities can be sited lack feasibility,” said first author Kathryn Walsh.
Despite some resistance among farmers, the researchers said it is encouraging that most farmers who signed solar leases still intend to continue farming.
Photo Credit: istock-simplycreativephotography
Categories: New York, Education, Rural Lifestyle