Solar and wind farms occupied 424,000 acres, or less than .05 percent of rural land in 2020, according to a recent USDA study.
The study also noted the majority of agricultural land near solar and wind farms remains in farming despite the expansion of renewable energy projects.
For example, 15 percent of solar sites that had been in agriculture before installation were not being used for agriculture afterward. For wind turbines, the share that left agriculture was less than 1 percent.
The study goes on to say that 43 percent of rural solar projects installed from 2012-2020 were on cropland, with 70 percent of solar installations in the Midwest being on cropland, the highest share in the country.
Fifty-six percent of wind turbines were installed on croplands during the same time frame.
Overall, the study suggests that renewable energy development can coexist with agricultural production in many cases. However, researchers noted these projects have local socioeconomic effects on rural communities such as providing leasing and tax revenue benefits while also imposing new costs, noise, and altered sightlines.
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