SEIA Report Puts Solar's Farmland Impact in Perspective. Getty image.
NEW ORLEANS – According to a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), less than one-tenth of 1% of U.S. farmland is occupied by solar facilities despite creating opportunities for farmers and rural landowners to generate long-term lease income. The SEIA report, Land Use and Solar Development, found that solar uses significantly less
NEW ORLEANS – According to a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), less than one-tenth of 1% of U.S. farmland is occupied by solar facilities despite creating opportunities for farmers and rural landowners to generate long-term lease income. The SEIA report, Land Use and Solar Development, found that solar uses significantly less prime farmland than golf courses and suburban development.
The report comes as solar development has faced increased scrutiny in some areas over concerns that utility-scale projects could permanently convert prime agricultural land and reduce acreage available for farming. SEIA argues that solar projects can coexist with agricultural operations in some cases, providing farmers with long-term lease income and opportunities for dual-use practices such as grazing livestock and growing certain crops alongside solar installations.
The Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association (GSREIA) has also promoted agrivoltaics and other dual-use strategies as a way for farmers to diversify income while maintaining productive agricultural land, particularly as energy demand grows across the Gulf Coast.
Louisiana's Growing Solar Footprint
Louisiana's solar footprint has grown in recent years and currently has 19 operating utility-scale solar farms with a combined generating capacity of approximately 1,401 megawatts, according to energy project tracker Cleanview.
Beyond those utility-scale projects, SEIA reports that total installed solar capacity in Louisiana, including smaller and distributed systems, now approaches 2 gigawatts statewide, with more than 3 gigawatts of additional capacity projected.
Growth is expected to continue. Researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center project the state could add 12.1 gigawatts of utility-scale solar capacity by 2035.
In 2024, the Louisiana Public Service Commission approved Entergy Louisiana's proposal to add up to 3 gigawatts of utility-scale solar generation to its portfolio, which the utility described as the largest renewable power expansion in state history. Entergy has since continued advancing individual solar projects under that broader initiative.
Nationally, solar's role in the power mix also continues to expand. According to energy think tank Ember, solar generated 12.8% of U.S. electricity in May 2026, surpassing coal's 12.2% share for the first time on record.
SEIA Report - Land Use in Context
SEIA's analysis found that solar facilities currently occupy about 0.04% of total U.S. land area and approximately 0.07% of U.S. farmland, or less than one-tenth of 1% of all farmland nationwide. According to the association, there are no states in which solar development uses more than 0.5% of prime farmland.
The report compares solar development with other land uses and found that golf courses occupy about 2.6 times more prime farmland than solar projects, while suburban development between 2014 and 2024 used nearly six times more prime farmland. SEIA also reported that nearly every state has more abandoned prime farmland than prime farmland developed for solar energy projects. Nationally, the association found there are 43 acres of abandoned prime farmland for every acre of prime farmland used for solar development.
SEIA Report Puts Solar's Farmland Impact in Perspective. Getty image.
The association said solar projects can provide long-term revenue opportunities for farmers, support dual-use agricultural practices in some regions and remain a flexible land-use option over time. Examples of agrivoltaics include livestock grazing and certain crop production taking place alongside solar installations.
SEIA also cited research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory indicating that the United States could meet its electricity needs through utility-scale solar using approximately 0.6% of the nation's land area.
According to the association, utility-scale solar projects generally require between five and seven acres per megawatt of generating capacity, although advances in photovoltaic technology have expanded the range of sites suitable for development.
Founded in 1974, the Solar Energy Industries Association is a national trade organization representing companies involved in solar and energy storage development, manufacturing, financing and installation across the United States.
Founded in 2010, the Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association is a New Orleans-based nonprofit trade association representing renewable energy companies and organizations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The organization works to support renewable energy investment, workforce development and market growth across the Gulf South through industry engagement, policy advocacy and stakeholder education.
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