The American Planning Association published a very helpful Planning Advisory Service memo about the potential negative effects of large-scale solar projects on land use, especially in rural areas where agricultural and forestry land uses predominate.

Key topics addressed in the memo include:

  • Impacts of large-scale solar on land use
  • The economic factors to consider for large-scale solar
  • Impact on agriculture and forested lands
  • Future decommissioning costs

The full memo can be read online at this link or downloaded (for a fee) from the APA website.

Source: Darren Coffey AICP, “Planning for Utility-Scale Solar Energy Facilities,” American Planning Association, Planning Advisory Service Memo, Sep/Oct 2019, https://www.planning.org/publications/document/9184153/, accessed 20 Jan 2022