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As water restrictions hit farmers, solar is making sense
Todd Tracy is converting 2,600 acres to solar as farmers seek new uses for land that can no longer support crops.
- Farmer Todd Tracy is converting 2,600 acres of his Buttonwillow, Calif., farm to solar after severe water shortages prevented him from growing crops on the land.
- Increasing water scarcity in the Central Valley, exacerbated by state groundwater regulations limiting pumping, forces many farmers to leave fields fallow or seek alternative land uses.
- The Midway Substation in Buttonwillow will connect to these solar projects, which could eventually generate enough electricity to power 1 million homes.
- While some agricultural groups oppose solar conversion citing land loss, advocates argue farmers should have the flexibility to determine their land's future use.
- California targets 100% clean energy, and converting water-stressed farmland helps the state meet its renewable energy mandate amid ongoing drought conditions.
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31 Articles
31 Articles
The Billings Gazette+29 Reposted by 29 other sources
As water restrictions hit farmers, solar is making sense
California’s Central Valley farmers face shrinking water supplies due to drought and regulations, prompting some to convert farmland to solar energy projects as a new revenue source and sustainability measure.
·Billings, United States
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Total News Sources31
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center25Last UpdatedBias Distribution81% Center
Bias Distribution
- 81% of the sources are Center
81% Center
L 16%
C 81%
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