Jeff Tober
There’s no question that we need to significantly increase use of solar and other clean sources of energy as quickly as possible to meet New Jersey’s worthy Energy Master Plan goal of transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2050 and try to prevent the worst effects of climate change. Farms and farmland may very well play some role in this vital effort. However, we cannot jeopardize our rich and rapidly shrinking agricultural lands to do so.
Utility-scale solar developer Dakota Power has proposed massive projects on prime farmlands across New Jersey, including so-called dual-use projects they claim will bring both solar generation and agriculture development benefits, financial stability for farmers, and improved soil and crop yields — theories that are far from proven.