To answer, Does turning farmland into solar make sense for our future? I think it makes more sense than how farmland is used to grow crops for fuel today.

Roughly 38% to 40% of the total U.S. corn crop, more than 30 million acres, is farm-to-fuel land dedicated to growing corn for ethanol production.

Now, before saying anymore, I don’t advocate for converting more farmland to growing fuel. However, I think converting some farm-to-fuel land from ethanol to solar would be advantageous. There is nothing wrong with the gradual implementation of solar farms.

Let’s ask some questions and do some math to see what this would even look like.

1. How many acres is needed for a 1MW solar farm? 7 acres
2. How many megawatt-hours can a 1MW solar farm produce? 1500 MWh
3. How many megawatt-hours will a 100 acre solar farm produce for one year? 21,000 MWh
4. How many acres of farmland is used to grow corn for ethanol? 30,000,000 acres
5. How many megawatt-hours could all the ethanol corn farmland generate? 6,300 TWh
6. How many megawatt-hours does the current US electric grid generate? 4,178 TWh in 2023

In essence, the farmland we use to create fuel for gas vehicles could be used to create more fuel, a cheaper fuel, and a more sustainable fuel for electric vehicles and our homes. Plus, farmers would not have to endure crop failures, machine maintenance, etc, and it could generate more energy than we currently generate today, and we can still have the reliability of oil & gas with gradual implementation, and we don’t have to change our lifestyles.

Note, these calculations are using capacity factors on the low end and land requirements on the high end. Slightly more efficient systems in better locations could yield significantly higher results. 

Additionally, the technologies used are recyclable and solar farms could plant grasses to support what is called solar-grazing where farm animals can graze. (Allowing for a dual land use that is not really supported when growing corn for ethanol.)

What is the holdup? We have to invest in the future, and that can be scary when everyone keeps talking about losing farmland and turning off old, reliable coal and gas.

So, let’s quit asking, “Does turning farmland into solar make sense for our future?” We already use farmland to grow fuel. Let’s instead talk about turning the farmland that fuels today’s cars into the farmland that can fuel tomorrow’s cars… and, maybe, tomorrow.

Joseph Huddleston
Jasper

References:

1. https://www.renewwisconsin.org/solarfarms/ Typically, one megawatt of solar power capacity will cover approximately seven acres. 
2. https://www.arka360.com/ros/difference-between-megawatt-and-megawatt-hour In the U.S., a regular solar farm might have a capacity factor of like 20–25%. So a 1 MW solar system won’t deliver 8,760 MWh per year (which would be the math if it ran at 100%); it’ll likely produce closer to 1,700–2,200 MWh annually also depending on location and design. (Our calculation will use an even lower number that assumes only 4.1 hours of power generation per day or 1,500 MWh per year. )
3. Calculation: (100 acres / 7 acres) *1500 MWh ? 21,429 MWh ? 21,000 MWh 
4. https://arevonenergy.com/news/blog/farmland-is-already-used-for-energy-why-not-solar-too/ 30 million acres of U.S. farmland already produce energy through ethanol.
5.  Calculation: 30,000,000 acres*(21,000 MWh/100 acres) =  6,3000,000,000 MWh  ? 6,300 TWh 
6. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us-generation-capacity-and-sales.php In 2023, net generation of electricity from utility-scale generators in the United States was about 4,178 billion kilowatthours (kWh) (or about 4.18 trillion kWh).
7. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/14/solar-grazing-triple-win-sheep-farmers-renewables-energy-companies Across the UK, a growing number of farmers are discovering that the free grazing opportunities offered by some solar panel sites are a toe-hold in an industry where land is often unaffordable or unobtainable.