Document Type
Research Report
Original Publication Date
2024
Journal/Book/Conference Title
NA
Volume
NA
Issue
NA
First Page
NA
Last Page
NA
DOI of Original Publication
NA
Date of Submission
January 2025
Abstract
Utility-scale solar energy is the fastest-growing source of energy in the United States, and it provides many benefits related to climate change mitigation, pollution reduction, and tax revenue for the impacted localities. However, the rapid expansion of this technology raises some concerns, including the possible loss of farmland, forest land, and sensitive ecosystems, as well as potential environmental justice impacts from concentrating these facilities in low-income and/or minority communities.
In Virginia, 94 utility-scale solar facilities – defined as systems with a generating capacity of 5 megawatts (MW) AC or greater – have been built since December 2016. Hundreds more projects, totaling thousand of MW of capacity, are in various stages of planning, development, or construction. This rapid growth is likely to continue for some time, as the Virginia Clean Economy Act calls for the state’s two primary electric utilities to reach a 100% renewable energy standard over the next 20-25 years, and declares up to 16,000 MW of utility-scale solar to be “in the public interest.”
To research the impacts of this technology, we have built a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database of all utility-scale solar facilities currently operating in the state, and overlaid those project footprints with the Virginia Land Cover Dataset to identify the previous land uses at those locations. This allows us to understand the rate at which land is being consumed by utility-scale solar, in terms of acres per MW, and identify types of lands that are being displaced. This will help to build an understanding of how utility-scale solar development is impacting farm and forest land, including the degree to which it is taking away high-value crop land, “prime” agricultural lands, or high conservation value forest lands. We have also used U.S. Census data to examine the demographics of the impacted communities, to see if utility-scale solar tends to concentrate in Census tracts with higher minority populations and/or lower incomes, relative to state averages.
Is Part Of
VCU L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Publications
Comments
A report of the VCU School of Government and Public Affairs and the VCU Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment, in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Energy.