This image (ignoring the fact that it’s not a real photo) seems to be based in the UK/ England from the car number plate designs. (though the background houses and the cloudless sky were plainly photoshopped from somewhere else )
I think UK has approx 0.1% of agricultural land already given to solar (but I don’t know the land classification breakdown).
It is just enough to be noticeable traveling around you do see the occasional normal looking fields with panels all over them.
UK is not self sufficient on food, so I think it’s a poor idea to use UK farmland for this stuff before using up rooftops and car parks and stuff like that for solar PV.
USA is obviously a different situation with way more land - better food security - and in some places more things like deserts to put large scale panels in.
But either way brownfield or parking lots seems like a good think to think about - and it can be closer to demand so may reduce transmission and distribution losses and infra costs. I guess most of the farmland in UK ones are probably near existing power lines to keep the grid connection cost down.
This image (ignoring the fact that it’s not a real photo) seems to be based in the UK/ England from the car number plate designs. (though the background houses and the cloudless sky were plainly photoshopped from somewhere else )
I think UK has approx 0.1% of agricultural land already given to solar (but I don’t know the land classification breakdown).
It is just enough to be noticeable traveling around you do see the occasional normal looking fields with panels all over them.
I’ve not seen them on the hilly low grade sheep pasture either I guess it might be areas prone to flooding , I’m not sure. It looks like this trade association is looking to expand this to c0.6%. https://solarenergyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/FactSheet-Solar-Farms-and-Agricultural-Land-2024.pdf
UK is not self sufficient on food, so I think it’s a poor idea to use UK farmland for this stuff before using up rooftops and car parks and stuff like that for solar PV.
USA is obviously a different situation with way more land - better food security - and in some places more things like deserts to put large scale panels in. But either way brownfield or parking lots seems like a good think to think about - and it can be closer to demand so may reduce transmission and distribution losses and infra costs. I guess most of the farmland in UK ones are probably near existing power lines to keep the grid connection cost down.