Dec 27, 2021
Talia Clarke
Reporter
NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine —
There are growing concerns in Maine's farming community about the increased use of farmlands for large-scale solar development.
Carl Wilcox, who owns Intervale Farm in New Gloucester, says he has received more than a dozen offers from solar developers to build on his property but has declined them all. Wilcox isn't against solar power — he has solar panels on his barn — but says his land is more valuable without solar panels on it should he ever sell it.
Wilcox says he has a friend nearby who farms and leases land to grow corn but recently sold his prime land to a solar developer.
"Whatever land he was growing corn on... we'll apparently it's not as good as that land that's now under solar panels," Wilcox said.
Farmland only makes up 6% of the state of Maine, and 14% of that is classified as prime farmland, which means the soil is ideal for growing crops.
Ellen Griswold of Maine Farmland Trust says a 25-year contract for a solar farm on prime soil can significantly impact Maine agriculture and, in turn, the state's local food source. Griswold says developers should look to build on degraded land instead.
"We may find that there is land now that just can't be remediated because of the extent of the PFAS contamination. Maybe that is an area where we should be thinking about renewable energy development," Griswold said.
Maine Sen. Ned Claxton, a Democrat from Androscoggin County, agrees that solar developers should avoid looking to prime farmland. But he also notes that solar investment is a key part of Maine becoming independent of fossil fuels.
"Pictures of deer grazing underneath solar panels works for me," Claxton said. "If we're going to get away from fossil fuels we have to be doing this."
Griswold says renewable energy does have a positive impact on Maine farmers because it can reduce energy costs and provide a steady income to farmers when a developer pays for that land.
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