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Why could you not reuse the farmland? The solar installations are usually not deeply rooted & the land below the panels is usually quit alive & well.. what am I

Why could you not reuse the farmland? The solar installations are usually not deeply rooted & the land below the panels is usually quit alive & well.. what am I missing?

hanniabu 2y ago
It'd probably be better for farmland because it'll have a break. Then again they'll probably continue spraying nasty herbicides to lower land maintenance around the panels.
- NewJazz 2y ago
  Crazy how little effort people are willing to put in to maintain a healthy ecosystem on their property. The landscaper at the last apartment I rented literally tore out a perfectly healthy basil plant and sprayed herbicide everywhere.
- Eric_WVGG 2y ago
  … read the article > Crews reshaped the landscape, spreading fine sand across large stretches of rich topsoil, Duttlinger said. When Reuters visited his farm last year and this spring, much of the land beneath the panels was covered in yellow-brown sand, where no plants grew. "I'll never be able to grow anything on that field again," the farmer said.
  - Robotbeat 2y ago
    ...is that actually scientifically true, or just a random thing a guy said?
  - Retric 2y ago
    That’s a nonsense issue. The plow is literally designed to swap the top layer of soil to kill off the existing plants and sand isn’t toxic. Nobody is wasting money to add a thick enough layer of sand to be a significant issue. And if they did you could just sell the sand. Further the guys making more money leasing the land than farming it, set some aside to pay for cleanup if he’s worried about it.
  - logifail 2y ago
    > … read the article >> "Crews reshaped the landscape, spreading fine sand across large stretches of rich topsoil, Duttlinger said" Where did the fine sand come from, how deep is the [alleged] spreading of it, how much of it did the panel installers [allegedly] bring with them? Can't help wishing we weren't quite so credulous....
- kwhitefoot 2y ago
  That's weird. The solar farms that I see in Europe all have grass under the panels and in some cases grazing animals. Just let loose a few sheep.
Nexxius 2y ago
You're are not missing anything How Solar Panels Are Changing Agriculture - Agrivoltaics Revisited https://youtu.be/ww-_U7_oQbY?si=Qw6h4oJ5AMx6BoYQ https://youtu.be/ww-_U7_oQbY?si=Qw6h4oJ5AMx6BoYQ
ProjectArcturis 2y ago
You'd have support posts buried every 6 feet. Sure you could remove them, but at a cost of many thousands per acre. When the rent is hundreds per year. It just wouldn't be economically viable.
- pinkgolem 2y ago
  Removing trees/posts for farmland has been done for 100dred of years and has always been financially viable Most of the farmland we have in Germany started out as forrest

Why could you not reuse the farmland? The solar installations are usually not deeply rooted & the land below the panels is usually quit alive & well.. what am I missing?

hanniabu 2y ago

It'd probably be better for farmland because it'll have a break. Then again they'll probably continue spraying nasty herbicides to lower land maintenance around the panels.

NewJazz 2y ago
Crazy how little effort people are willing to put in to maintain a healthy ecosystem on their property. The landscaper at the last apartment I rented literally tore out a perfectly healthy basil plant and sprayed herbicide everywhere.
Eric_WVGG 2y ago
… read the article > Crews reshaped the landscape, spreading fine sand across large stretches of rich topsoil, Duttlinger said. When Reuters visited his farm last year and this spring, much of the land beneath the panels was covered in yellow-brown sand, where no plants grew. "I'll never be able to grow anything on that field again," the farmer said.
- Robotbeat 2y ago
  ...is that actually scientifically true, or just a random thing a guy said?
- Retric 2y ago
  That’s a nonsense issue. The plow is literally designed to swap the top layer of soil to kill off the existing plants and sand isn’t toxic. Nobody is wasting money to add a thick enough layer of sand to be a significant issue. And if they did you could just sell the sand. Further the guys making more money leasing the land than farming it, set some aside to pay for cleanup if he’s worried about it.
- logifail 2y ago
  > … read the article >> "Crews reshaped the landscape, spreading fine sand across large stretches of rich topsoil, Duttlinger said" Where did the fine sand come from, how deep is the [alleged] spreading of it, how much of it did the panel installers [allegedly] bring with them? Can't help wishing we weren't quite so credulous....
kwhitefoot 2y ago
That's weird. The solar farms that I see in Europe all have grass under the panels and in some cases grazing animals. Just let loose a few sheep.

Nexxius 2y ago

You're are not missing anything How Solar Panels Are Changing Agriculture - Agrivoltaics Revisited https://youtu.be/ww-_U7_oQbY?si=Qw6h4oJ5AMx6BoYQ https://youtu.be/ww-_U7_oQbY?si=Qw6h4oJ5AMx6BoYQ

ProjectArcturis 2y ago

You'd have support posts buried every 6 feet. Sure you could remove them, but at a cost of many thousands per acre. When the rent is hundreds per year. It just wouldn't be economically viable.

pinkgolem 2y ago
Removing trees/posts for farmland has been done for 100dred of years and has always been financially viable Most of the farmland we have in Germany started out as forrest