Discussion

@randahl Listen, I like a good steak as much as anyone, but we have to remember what the alternative to fields of solar panels are. Fields today (in Denmark) are primarily used for producing food for livestock. The agriculture industry in Denmark contributed in 2021 to 26% of total CO2 emissions in Denmark, to 84% of CH4 emissions and 87% of N2O emissions

So using the fields to produce green energy does not seem like such a bad idea. And on top of that, the biodiversity of fields with solar panels are apparently higher then the biodiversity of mono-culture, single-crop fields.

The picture in the OP does not look nice - but please let's not loose focus on the bigger picture. The agriculture industry is effectively a "black industry" - and they need to change the way they manufacture their products.

@randahl while I agree it isn’t the prettiest and that we need to cover roofs and parking lots, I think we need both and we need more wind turbines and batteries too. Fact is this is the cheapest way and price often wins.

@randahl with any new technology, there will be improvement in both efficiency and positioning. I think it might be easier to move the PV panels than, say, a nuclear reactor.

@randahl TvSyd was there a few years ago: https://www.tvsyd.dk/aabenraa/her-er-byen-der-blev-omringet-af-nordeuropas-stoerste-solcellepark

@randahl Random ideas. I saw somewhere they are putting solar panels over canals in India. You could make the solar panels into a meadow by planting native plants to attract wildlife. Last idea I saw somewhere was to grow grass and use it as a goat field. The goats “mow” the grass by eating it.

@randahl While I support solar on roofs as first choice, this is an extreme example, the largest solar area covered in Northern Europe, which sustains the energy consumption of 75.000 houses. Its still not pretty, but all residents have been offered to sell their houses at market prices or they got a compensation for lost property value. Also, the bland corn fields which fueled power stations before were much less efficient and thus used even more land than solar cells.

@randahl In Turlock, CA, they're testing solar panels mounted over canals. https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article315553082.html

@randahl

I doubt its that big of a deal at the ground level. Depends on how the gantries were built. They could be growing shade vegetables underneath.

@randahl indeed, cover parking lots, highways and any commercial/industrial roofs that can support it.

@randahl People don't look at things from above, unless they are flying. I doubt these are much different from fields when viewed at human level.

@randahl You can do "agrivoltaic" farming, growing crops or keeping animals on the same land as solar panels. The land receives the same amount of rain, and shade can be beneficial.

@randahl you feel right!

@randahl
I have previously suggested bicycle paths.

What better way to get more people to cycle than to put a roof over the bicycle path?

@randahl
Yes. Every roof.

@randahl I would guess they prefer that to a nuclear power station nearby.