4 ms·

I think you get fined if you do that.

lotsofQs333 11y ago
Where? Even if this was true, surely it would depend on where you live, yeah? Country and local laws would vary? The questions was what it would cost a farmer, not farmer in place where it's obviously illegal? What...
- riffraff 11y ago
  Just for the sake of trivial knowledge (your comment is obviously correct that it varies) it is actually forbidden in Sardinia (Italy) to replace farmland with solar power fields. You are only allowed to setup photovoltaic panels if you have plants below them (asparagus and some flowers grow fine, apparently). I have no idea why.
mikestew 11y ago
Care to explain? Because unless you're arguing along the lines of something something farm subsidies, I'm pretty sure you're wrong.
- MichaelBurge 11y ago
  Usually farmland is zoned only for farmland use. You need an inspector to approve any building, and it must be related to farm use. In Oregon, here's the list of allowed uses of farmland: http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/215.213 http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/215.213 You could probably install solar panels for the purpose of powering your house and farm equipment, but you couldn't install solar panels everywhere and sell the electricity to the public: "Utility facilities necessary for public service, including wetland waste treatment systems but not including commercial facilities for the purpose of generating electrical power for public use by sale or transmission towers over 200 feet in height." It's not just a local thing: Maybe there are places where it doesn't hold, but the government wants to ensure the US isn't dependent on other countries for food. So it puts restrictions on the farmland to ensure that there's always enough food available. OTOH, if by 'farmland', you meant 'desert in Nevada', I can't imagine anyone would care if you bought it up and installed panels there.
  - mikestew 11y ago
    Thanks. It's been so long since I've lived in farm land that I forgot about "let's not turn farm land into subdivisions" zoning.

Where? Even if this was true, surely it would depend on where you live, yeah? Country and local laws would vary? The questions was what it would cost a farmer, not farmer in place where it's obviously illegal? What...

riffraff 11y ago
Just for the sake of trivial knowledge (your comment is obviously correct that it varies) it is actually forbidden in Sardinia (Italy) to replace farmland with solar power fields. You are only allowed to setup photovoltaic panels if you have plants below them (asparagus and some flowers grow fine, apparently). I have no idea why.

mikestew 11y ago

Care to explain? Because unless you're arguing along the lines of something something farm subsidies, I'm pretty sure you're wrong.

MichaelBurge 11y ago
Usually farmland is zoned only for farmland use. You need an inspector to approve any building, and it must be related to farm use. In Oregon, here's the list of allowed uses of farmland: http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/215.213 http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/215.213 You could probably install solar panels for the purpose of powering your house and farm equipment, but you couldn't install solar panels everywhere and sell the electricity to the public: "Utility facilities necessary for public service, including wetland waste treatment systems but not including commercial facilities for the purpose of generating electrical power for public use by sale or transmission towers over 200 feet in height." It's not just a local thing: Maybe there are places where it doesn't hold, but the government wants to ensure the US isn't dependent on other countries for food. So it puts restrictions on the farmland to ensure that there's always enough food available. OTOH, if by 'farmland', you meant 'desert in Nevada', I can't imagine anyone would care if you bought it up and installed panels there.
- mikestew 11y ago
  Thanks. It's been so long since I've lived in farm land that I forgot about "let's not turn farm land into subdivisions" zoning.