Iowa — Creating a field of solar panels to generate power doesn’t have to mean taking farmland out of agricultural production.
Mallory Tope, a policy associate with the Center for Rural Affairs, says “dual use solar” is an excellent solution for meeting the growing demand for renewable energy while also utilizing Iowa’s fertile soil for growing crops — and growing other things.
The center is launching an educational campaign designed to reach policymakers at the city, county and state level.
The Center for Rural Affairs is working to encourage local leaders to consider agri-solar and dual-use when drafting or amending ordinances that relate to solar development.
To support dual-use development, Tope says counties could set additional land-use expectations, adopt zoning approaches that allow for mixed land use, or set up overlay districts for special solar permits. A report from the Clean Grid Alliance says Iowa has more than 30 million acres of farmland, with about 18 million considered “prime” acres, while about 25 hundred acres statewide are devoted to solar, generating 260 megawatts of power.
