Solar Farms are Anti Life

[Happytrails]

Leaving our little village the other morning I noticed a semi pulling flat B's turning into a field about a mile out. Looked pretty risky to head off across the snowy tundra in an outfit like that and then I saw there were two more ahead of him. Apparently they were hauling materials for the solar farm which is under construction there. On ground that was previously farmed.

This got me thinking what possible justification there could be to sterilize a portion of our earth to generate electricity. There have been solar panels for a variety of uses many years. Some to supply electricity in remote locations and some are on rooftops to supplement the power grid. But to capture the sunlight from acres of arable land and thus destroy its previous contribution to the ecosystem is a recent development around here.

Plants take in CO2 and turn it into food and oxygen. How can there by a higher land use than that? What non photosynthetic life forms might develop to use the soil moisture? I really can't imagine how the greenies can rationalize these blights to the landscape. I know cities can't function without electricity but the world can't function without photosynthesis.

[Sheepwheat]

Solar farm would be a perfect opportunity to graze sheep. Otherwise I get your gist.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Solar farm would be a perfect opportunity to graze sheep. Otherwise I get your gist.

There have been some sheep and goats grazing under the solar panels at the Innisfail solar farm. Not much to eat though, must have been sterilized. I didn't see them at all this year, perhaps just a one time thing for brownie points?

Perhaps a dozen sheep on a quarter section plus of the best farmland in a sure rainfall area. For a few months out of the year. How does that compare to stocking densities in the real world?

[Happytrails]

There have been some sheep and goats grazing under the solar panels at the Innisfail solar farm. Not much to eat though, must have been sterilized. I didn't see them at all this year, perhaps just a one time thing for brownie points?

Perhaps a dozen sheep on a quarter section plus of the best farmland in a sure rainfall area. For a few months out of the year. How does that compare to stocking densities in the real world?

The only energy plants get is sunlight. The only sunlight at ground level on solar farms is what the panels fail to capture. The concept of multi use (grazing sheep) under solar panels is wishful thinking IMO. Even a heavy crop of grass will shade the ground and hinder new growth.

[Sheepwheat]

The pics I quickly went and looked at must be all fake.

All kidding aside, the places I’ve seen with solar panels look like a wild mess of growth. Driving by I look at my wife and she smiled and we didn’t have to even talk. We saw the wasted land in the same light, ahem, solar viewpoint.

It probably depends on height off of ground etc. Re what will grow there.