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.
