Are Solar Farms Bad for the Environment?

The Controversy Around Solar Farms

Solar energy is widely celebrated as a clean energy solution to the escalating climate crisis. Yet, as developers create solar projects across the country, a growing number of critics have raised concerns about the environmental and agricultural impacts of solar farm development. These concerns often focus on land use, habitat disruption, soil health, and other long-term impacts. 

Nautilus frequently receives comments on these issues across our social media platforms, so we think it’s appropriate to explore the debate by examining the environmental footprint of solar farms and the innovative ways developers are approaching them.

Concern: Tackling Solar Waste

One common worry about solar energy is what happens when panels reach the end of their lives. With an average lifespan of about 30 years, experts estimate that by 2030 the U.S. could generate nearly one million tons of solar panel waste.

The reality today

Currently, solar panel recycling is feasible, but not entirely economical. While this is the case, progress is being made in this space. Did you know that more than 85% of a solar panel, like aluminum and glass, can already be recycled?

And most U.S. solar systems are still young. About 70% of solar systems have been installed since 2017, so large-scale recycling urgency is still a few years away.

Innovation is driving change

• The U.S. Department of Energy is investing in technologies to extend solar panel lifespans up to 50 years, improve extreme weather durability, and enable easier recycling by improving material separation.
• Some companies have already developed closed-loop recycling programs that can recover up to 95% of solar panel materials, turning end-of-life panels into resources for new ones.

At Nautilus Solar, we've also contributed to recycling efforts. During the development of the Wells & Fryeburg solar farms in Maine, we partnered with Green Clean Solar, a specialist in solar panel recycling. During this collaboration, we successfully reused and refurbished 14.11 tons (512 modules) of damaged solar panels as well as racking materials from another solar farm, versus sending older materials into the waste system.

We also resell underperforming or damaged solar panels on the secondary market, giving them new life. Solar developers can buy and trade used solar panels, keeping valuable materials out of landfills and extending their lifespan.

In 2016, the SEIA National PV Recycling Program, a network of US recycling providers, was formed to help provide recycling services to solar installers and system owners. While challenges remain, progress is underway to develop a more circular solar economy.

Concern: Protecting Farmland, Farmers, and Ranchers

Solar farms often appear on fields or farmland—but that doesn’t mean agriculture disappears or farmers lose ownership. In fact, solar development can help preserve farms for future generations.

Here’s why:

• Solar developers rarely buy farmland. Instead, solar developers often sign long-term leases, between 20 and 40 years, providing local farmers and landowners with a reliable income stream for decades.
• This alternative revenue stream helps keep working farms in business and in the family, rather than forcing landowners to sell to commercial or residential developers. Once developers convert farmland to residential or retail space, they rarely, if ever, restore it to agricultural use.

What about land availability for crops?

Many are concerned that solar will consume too much agricultural farmland. Consider this:

• 30-40% of America’s corn production is dedicated to ethanal energy production, another form of energy.
• According to the USDA, solar sites used 336,090 acres in 2020—just .05% of the country’s 897 million acres of farmland.
• Many solar farms, including a substantial number of Nautilus farms, are built on land that would otherwise sit idle—it’s unusable, contaminated, or otherwise unsuitable for agriculture development. A great example is our Sanford, Maine project. This property, once home to CGA Inc., a circuit board recycling facility, was heavily contaminated and considered unfit for most uses. Today, it’s been transformed into a clean energy powerhouse, delivering renewable electricity to over 960 community solar subscribers.

Mutually beneficial innovation lets the land and its inhabitants thrive

Advancements in the solar-agricultural space from solar grazing, pollinator habitats, and agrivoltaics allow crops and livestock to co-exist (and even benefit!) alongside solar panels. These innovations allow for additional revenue streams on this land, improving soil health and crop yields.

Concern: What happens after a solar farm is decommissioned?

Unlike fossil fuel infrastructure, solar farms are relatively easy to decommission. Most leases include clauses requiring developers to restore land to its to a specified condition after the contract ends. Once the lease for this land concludes, this land returns to farmland.

While some argue that soil compaction and erosion may delay agricultural reuse, others point out that solar farms don’t involve permanent structures or toxic waste. With proper planning and oversight, land can be rehabilitated for future farming or conservation, and solar materials can be recycled for future use.

Concern: Holistic Land Health

Solar farms are not without environmental costs. Critics highlight several concerns:

• Habitat Disruption: Clearing land for solar arrays can destroy wildlife habitats and reduce biodiversity. The same is true for other land uses like commercial development, farming, or housing.
• Soil Degradation: Construction practices like grading and trenching can compact soil and lead to erosion, especially in rich agricultural zones.
• Water Runoff: Removal of vegetation increases runoff and sedimentation, potentially contaminating nearby waterways.

These concerns are valid and deserve attention. However, we must also weigh them against the environmental toll of fossil fuels.

Solar vs. Fossil Fuels

While solar energy isn’t perfect, compared to fossil fuels, it’s a clear step forward.

Fossil fuel production still accounts for approximately 60% of electricity generation and is also the leading source of toxic chemicals in the water and air, contributing to a host of systematic issues such as water pollution, health risks, and growing geopolitical tensions. Further, fossil fuels are finite resources.

Solar farms are one of the fastest-to-deploy and cheapest sources of new electricity in the world, and they run on renewable energy.

The hidden cost of “business as usual”

The impacts of fossil fuels often go unnoticed day to day, but the trend is undeniable: fossil fuel dependence is a global economic and sustainability problem. It is essential that we transition to cleaner energy solutions.

While acknowledging that solar farms have environmental tradeoffs, they are far cleaner than large factories and power plants using coal, oil, and natural gas. They represent an improvement over the status quo, delivering renewable energy without the systematic harm tied to monopolistic fossil fuels.

A Path Forward

So, are solar farms bad for the environment? It is true that solar energy is not a perfect energy solution, however, solar does provide a smarter, more efficient alternative to the status quo of fossil fuels. This is especially the case as energy prices continue to rise and the environmental health of the planet declines.