Pathways toward solar justice: Localized realities of on-farm solar expansion across Pennsylvania

Keywords: solar justice, Pennsylvania, farmland, energy transition
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

While the cost of solar energy production is dropping globally, its expansion requires large land areas that are often in competition with other agricultural, industrial, or residential uses. In the United States, this competition places pressure on agricultural landowners to navigate the ethical and logistical tensions of integrating solar photovoltaics on their land. As of November 2018, Pennsylvania (PA) has adopted a Solar Future Plan to increase the state’s solar energy generation to 10% by 2030, positioning PA as a site of rapid utility-scale solar development. As on-farm solar leases are increasing across PA, this research explores the contextualized and localized realities of these energy transitions. Through an energy justice framework, we interviewed agricultural landowners engaged in solar leases and solar stakeholders (e.g., developers, attorneys, local officials) to understand their decision-making processes regarding lease negotiations and agrivoltaic land management, as well as their experiences with community opposition and related power dynamics. Agricultural landowners cite an array of reasons to engage in on-farm solar leasing, including higher profits, benefits to their future familial generations, and protecting their land from industrial development. However, the lasting legacies of Marcellus Shale development and the procedural parallels of solar expansion present concerns for power imbalances and distrust. Moreover, staunch community opposition exposes the lack of shared communal benefits in these private agreements and positions landowners at the center of these conflicts. Therein, this study reveals the cautions and possibilities of on-farm solar development and the necessity of new procedural pathways to ensure a justice-oriented process.