New law eases path for solar in the Ag Reserve
Farmers say agriculture now threatened by high prices solar companies pay to lease land
By Steven Findlay
Accelerating solar energy generation has been a policy goal in the U. S. since the late 1980s. The purpose was always clear: gradually replace fossil fuels with clean energy.
Solar energy has indeed grown steadily in the last 30 years. But, for a host of reasons, solar still accounts for only a small percent of the total energy produced in the U. S.— about 5.8 % in 2023. By comparison, fossil fuels provide around 60 % of our energy needs, nuclear 18.6 % and wind 10.2 %.
The obstacles have not stopped companies and advocates from urging that solar become a larger part of the nation’ s response to growing energy demand— think data centers and AI— and threats posed by climate change. Lately, that pursuit has relied on a strategy now playing out in dozens of states: build lots more utility-scale ground-based solar facilities on open land and farmland.
As a concept, this sounds simple and even smart. After all, the U. S. is a vast country with lots of land.
And analyses have shown that“ only” 10 to 14 million acres of ground-based solar would be needed to fully power the U. S. Fourteen million acres is about 22,000 square miles. That’ s half of 1 % of the 3.8 million square mile land mass of the U. S.( including bodies of water). It’ s also four Connecticuts.
In practice, however, the idea of millions of acres of ground-based solar solving our energy needs has turned out to be anything but simple. Opposition from farmers and rural communities is widespread.
Maryland joins the fray
Maryland this year became the latest state to grapple with the policies and politics of siting large-scale solar facilities. And Montgomery County’ s Ag Reserve figured prominently in the deliberations, which took place in the state legislature between February and April. Those deliberations culminated in a new law that makes Maryland the latest state to experiment with where to put“ big solar.”
4 plenty I summer growing 2025