More than 70% of large-scale, commercial solar development in rural areas occurred on agricultural land, either cropland or pasture-range land.
Of the 3,177 solar projects installed between 2012 and 2020, the largest share was on cropland (43%). Another 28% of solar projects were installed on pasture-range land.
Among regions studied, the Midwest had the highest share of solar installations on cropland at 70%, followed by the Atlantic at 43% and South at 37%. In the West and Plains, installations occurred mostly on pasture-range at 60 and 65%, respectively. The Atlantic region had the highest share of solar sites on forest land at 23%, while the Atlantic and South both had the highest share of solar installations on developed land at 6%. Sites in the South were the most diverse of all regions, with 37%categorized cropland, 17% as forest, 19% as pasture-range, and 21% categorized as other.— USDA Economic Research Service
