"Fears over farmland loss have fueled arguments against renewables in Ohio — but golf courses and suburban sprawl take up far more acreage than solar does."
"Solar arrays cover a tiny share of Ohio’s farmland — but you wouldn’t know it based on how often renewable energy opponents call to block or limit utility-scale installations in agricultural areas.
Solar panels sit on less than one-seventh of 1% of prime farmland in Ohio, according to a map recently released by the Solar Energy Industries Association, or SEIA.
In Ohio — and increasingly around the U.S. — fears over farmland loss have become one of the most common arguments against proposed large-scale solar development.
For example, agricultural issues were on Republican state Sen. Bill Reineke’s list of reasons for sponsoring a 2021 law that now lets Ohio counties ban most solar and wind projects and imposes added hurdles for those that might move ahead."
