This document discusses smart solar siting strategies to maximize solar energy production while minimizing impacts on agricultural land and the environment. It identifies key elements of smart solar siting such as mapping land with stakeholders, identifying best practices, exploring dual use of land for solar and farming, and advocating supportive policies. The document also provides examples of land cover mapping in New York to identify suitable solar sites and early success stories of dual use solar projects.

1. Smart Solar Siting: Solar Energy
Projects on Agricultural Lands
Jimmy Daukas
SWCS Annual Conference
July 31, 2018

2. Ag & Natural Lands Can Help
Combat Climate Change

3. Increasing Competition for Land
Threatens our Best Land

4. Solar Energy: Important Opportunity
for Farmers and Landowners

5. Expanding solar energy…beware of
unintended consequences…how you
do it matters
Source: aecon.com. Landowners need to do background research before entering into a solar energy lease.
June 15, 2016 Ashley Ellixson and Paul Goeringer

6. Smart Solar Siting
 Maximize potential for solar while minimizing
impact on best farmland and the environment
 Guide siting to land w/ least impact on ag & env

7. Elements of Smart Solar Siting
• Map the land w/ multi-stakeholders
• Identify best practices and create info
clearinghouse
• Train local entities
• Explore dual use
• Require data to learn
• Advocate policies
• Communicate
win-win

8. New York Land Cover/Land Use
Mapping to Identify Where to Site

9. Important Potential Opportunity:
Dual Use or Farming Friendly Solar

10. Uncertainty But Some Early
Success Stories

11. Impact on Soil Health?

12. AFT Launching Multi-stakeholder
Partnership Project in New England

13.  American Farmland Trust www.farmland.org
 Farmland Information Center www.farmlandinfo.org and
800-370-4879
 Jimmy Daukas, jdaukas@farmland.org
NO FARMS NO FOOD

15. www.farmland.org/solar

16. Site Preparation

17. Parameters Suggested for
Dual Use Arrays
• System Size
• Height
• Shading
• Agricultural use