After Solar and Wind Farms Suddenly Sprang Up, Citizens and Local Governments Sprang Into Action
2 hours ago Guest Blogger 7 Comments
By Gary Abernathy
It is not unreasonable to ask how the alternatives movement, led by solar and wind, went from being the darling of the nation, the face of our energy future and something deemed worthy of billions of tax dollars in subsidies, to, within just a few years, being significantly impeded or outright banned by local governments in about a quarter of the country.
Rural communities were most impacted by the projects. Some farmers were upset that their neighbors were selling or leasing their land to solar companies. They didn’t want to walk out their door and see hundreds of acres of neighboring land filled with shiny solar panels instead of corn, soybeans and wheat.
Many states, including my home state of Ohio, passed solar-related laws that provided no avenue for local government to stop or even review the projects. Even if such authority existed, it was easy to empathize with farmers who were selling to solar entities. For many farmers, the solar deals were a way to get out of debt and start anew.
As I wrote in a Washington Post article in 2019, “At recent public hearings I attended, some among the roughly 30 landowners who are selling or leasing their land for the projects extolled the benefits of solar, but most offered the frank explanation that the deals they were offered were a financial lifeline not only for them, but for their children and grandchildren.”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/16/after-solar-and-wind-farms-suddenly-sprang-up-citizens-and-local-governments-sprang-into-action/
