Community solar could be a boon for all. Why are lawmakers holding it up? | Opinion
I regularly hear from farmers concerned about challenges accessing farmland and competing against solar generation for land. However, they understand that we need both renewable energy and prosperous, resilient farms.
One solution is to allow community solar projects, but a bill to allow such projects in Wisconsin is stalled in the Legislature.
Community solar allows participants to subscribe to a portion of a solar project and receive credit on their electricity bill for the power produced. They can be located almost anywhere and are often placed on small parcels of under-utilized farmland, and are an alternative to installing individual rooftop panels on homes and businesses. Currently, many individuals are unable to participate in solar because they are not a homeowner or the site is not suitable.
Solar projects boost farmers, households and businesses
Community solar could be a lifeline for farmers. Under the proposed legislation, farmers could lease even small portions of their land for small-scale projects. Households and businesses nearby lacking access to traditional rooftop solar, whether because they’re renters or cannot afford the panels, can subscribe to these projects and reduce their utility bills by as much as 10 percent.
Project sizes are capped at 40 acres and require town board approval, ensuring local voices are heard. Allowing these types of small, innovative projects would be a welcome alternative to taking several thousand acres of quality farmland out of production.
Community solar doesn’t remove agricultural land, but rather protects it. It puts local control of these projects back into the hands of landowners and their communities as well as allowing farmers the ability to maintain their own independence and stay in production agriculture by cultivating a stable revenue stream while also cultivating energy independence.
Even though Wisconsin is “America’s Dairyland,” many of our residents are unaware of the day-to-day needs of dairy farming and agriculture in general. When large swaths of land are taken out of agricultural production for solar generation, businesses that provide support to agriculture are impacted as well; seed elevators, custom harvesters, cheese plants, and many more. The infrastructure that supports agriculture must work harder, go further, and pay more to do the same job.
Bill restores autonomy for owners on best land usage
Community solar can restore autonomy for local landowners, allowing them to host projects on land that might not get the best yield farming, or has only been used as secondary pasture. However, this land could serve as the tenant site for a small-scale community solar project, keeping the rest of the farm alive. Wisconsin farmers could receive a guaranteed income for the life of the project, making $30,000 annually for a lease payment on a 5 Megawatt project.
These payments are particularly critical for farmers considering expanding operations but lacking the financial capability or energy capacity to do so, giving them breathing room as they make long-term decisions about their businesses.
Healthy farms make for healthy communities. By helping our farms, community solar would have ripple effects throughout local economies, providing access to renewable energy in communities often overlooked and generating property tax revenue for local municipalities, giving them financial support to preserve their community social and cultural fabric.
Quite simply, farmers know the best economic use of their land. This legislation introduced by Sen. Duey Stroebel, R–Saukville and Rep. Scott Krug, R–Nekoosa, could be the difference between losing a farm or leaving a legacy for future generations. While the year started off promising for authorizing community solar in Wisconsin, the prospects seem less likely as the state legislative session progresses without action being taken.
This legislation has broad support, including the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, League of Wisconsin Municipalities, and the Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum, as well as multiple business groups, including the realtors organization and associations representing grocers, builders and contractors and retailers. Lawmakers need to act while there's still time to enable community solar facilities in Wisconsin
Jason Mugnaini is Executive Director of Governmental Relations for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Solar helps farms, businesses. So why are WI lawmakers holding it up?
