Put them in parking lots! Doubles as a roof for places that get bad weather. Coming from someone in Buffalo, NY. This would be ideal. Power and protection from snow. 
Yep, require it on all bldgs, especially government bldgs. Stop taking up green space.
Completely agree. Farmland should be just that, farmland. I am still concerned about leakage from panels regardless of placement. There must be a better source of energy even beyond solar and wind.
Yes being more creative in where we place solar panels would be really appreciated. There are so many places that provide shade publically that could hold solar. Parking structures and lots. along the interstate in populated areas etc.
Bodies of water is really one of the best possible places for solar panels to go. The array can rotate in the water to follow the sun and it takes almost no energy to rotate the floating array.
Also, panels produce better when they are a bit cooler. On hot days, the evaporating water cools the panels and makes them even more efficient.
Not to mention, people arenât typically allowed to boat on reservoirs and the panels keep evaporation loss down which is important in climates that donât have great water security.
Totally agree!! The roofs of large buildings such as warehouses (Walmart, Samâs club, malls, etc.) should also be utilized in solar power!
I am the owner of a solar company and I do not like to see large swaths of premium land turned into solar farms just to benefit the Utility companies. There are more than enough existing structures to put solar panels on. Utilities will bulldoze large amounts of land just to say they are green friendly and still end up raising electricity rates.
We live in an established neighborhood out in rural Texas. Grand solar Texas 20 just purchased 800 acres behind us to put in a solar farm. Land of use laws there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. It lowers property values wreaks havoc on your health, kills all the wildlife and destroys the ground. Also, all the panels are gonna be made in China and they are not recyclable. How is this green energy? Landowner should get a essay of what is around them
One idea i saw was to cover parking lots. It would help keep cars in the shade while also collecting energy
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Roofs and in parking lots as a car park to help with the sun beating down on your vehicle
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My husband and I frequently say this! At a minimum all government and big corporation buildings should have solar panels on them to help the energy grid. Here in Texas energy is a big issue. I also think itâs a problem because the rate on electricity is constantly increasing.
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When I went to Arizona this summer I realized some grocery stores and shopping centers and stuff have solar panels as parking covers. I was absolutely amazed and I thought that was a fantastic idea. For states that solar panels would used in (more sunny states with less cloudy weather) solar panels should DEFINITELY be utilized.
And for farm land unless you need an excess amount of solar panels that wouldnât fit on your roof I wouldnât see why you wouldnât want to have them on your roof instead of on your land. Unless thereâs an issue we donât know about.
We should definitely encourage these ideas.
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Well to begin with solar is not a great investment, panels degrade 2% a year, they only produce energy when the sun is right on top of them and only for around 20% of the time.
The return on investment is minimal especially if connected to the grid where you arenât really using 100% of that investment since all is doing is giving power to the grid. Donât forget that panels need cleaning too and to put them up on roofs well, some may not like to clime up to clean them every month⊠and in snow areas Iâm sure is a no no
So yes 100% a NO to keep taking farm land to put these up (that has been done here recently in a land near me)
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Not all farmland is used to grow direct consumption crops, much of it is used for animal grazing. Agrivoltaics is what it is called when solar farms are used wisely to allow continued animal grazing underneath the elevated panels. This means we can get both energy and animal products (milk, eggs, wool, etcâŠ) from the same plot of land. I even saw a recent report that the shading provided by the panels reduces evaporation of water, leaving more moisture in the soil to be used by the plants (in most cases grasses) to grow faster. When built correctly a solar array can collect power while still leaving enough sunlight to provide for the plants photosynthesis needs. Those who are completely paving over farmland to build solar arrays are not smart people. agrivoltaics can offer an additional income stream to farmers whithout needing to completely destroy their landâs ability to provide food.
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The solar farms that are being built on farmland is having a devastating effect on our agricultural industry and, if this is not stopped, it will only get worse. I have witnessed hundreds of acres of apple and peach farms destroyed when the solar farms replace them. They turn productive trees into wood chips and do nothing to even try to save any of the crops. There is a misconception that these solar farms are only built on empty land spaces in remote areas, but this is not happening in many states throughout the US. This practice has to stop, as it will continue to negatively impact our food supply, our farmland, and our environment.
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Agree. There is also a company that is innovating to make âsolar roadwaysâ which could convert thousands of miles of existing roads into low-level power generators.
Solar panels have no place taking up valuable land for farming or agriculture, or our public lands. They are awesome on houses and public buildings.
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Completely agree! Fantastic idea and makes the most logical sense.
Same here in maine⊠these solar farms replaced beautiful trees and wild flowers and farming⊠they are a eye sore!!
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How about the consideration of roads and parking lots being constructed from solar voltaic materials?
[roads as solar panels? is that even possible?]