While the nation sharpens its focus on decarbonizing the electric grid, researchers at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture have completed a timely study to determine Tennessee’s current and projected land use for utility-scale solar energy production and possible impacts on the state’s farmland.
The nation’s use of solar energy has increased drastically over the last decade, growing from 0.6% to 4.8% of total U.S. electricity produced. Further, the U.S. Department of Energy projects solar generation could provide as much as 40% of the nation’s electricity supply by 2035. Rapid expansion and projections of continued growth were drivers in this latest research to determine the amount of land needed to accommodate the increase in solar installations in Tennessee.
The study determined that Tennessee’s current operational and contracted utility-scale facilities would generate 1,474 megawatts of energy and require between 8,197 to 14,743 acres of land, equating up to 0.056% of the state’s total land mass or up to 0.137% of the state’s agricultural lands. Most of these utility-scale solar facilities are in the western portion of the state.
To meet customer demand and system needs, the Tennessee Valley Authority recently announced their goal of adding 10 gigawatts of solar power by 2035. An additional 10 GWs of solar energy generation would require another 55,600 to 100,000 acres of land. If Tennessee is the sole location of this solar energy production, as opposed to being spread across all seven TVA states, the resulting additional land use would represent from 0.21% to 0.38% of the state’s total land mass or 0.52% to 0.93% of Tennessee’s farmland. These numbers are contingent on the extent of TVA’s progress toward the goal, the share of solar production located in Tennessee, and potential technological advances that could reduce the amount of land needed to generate the energy.
Source: eurekalert.org
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Categories: Pennsylvania, Education, Energy