Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
The US Department of Energy says decarbonising the world’s biggest economy will require it to produce nearly half its power from solar by 2050, up from 3.4 per cent now. So American solar has a long way to go, but they have shade and sheep on their side – shade because solar panels provide it on agricultural land where otherwise there would be none, and sheep because they like the shade, which is especially useful as summers across Texas, the prairies and the Midwest get hotter. A WaPo report from west Texas focuses on payments from solar power firms to “agrivoltaic” farmers. Considering the steady income, even in times of drought, solar grazing is spreading slowly. This is mainly because traditionalists don’t like the panels. But a 2022 study showed eight in ten people in US farming communities are more likely to support new solar installations if they’re integrated with livestock. Next up: longer stilts for the panels, so cows can fit under them too.
