The Biden administration has finalized a plan to massively expand the amount of federal land available for solar farms. This comes as an extension of the Western Solar Plan, which had already approved 22 million acres for solar farms, reported Electrek.
This expansion of federal land specifically available for solar power generation is a great step in achieving a fully clean energy grid in the U.S.
The expansion of the Western Solar Plan, seen through by the Bureau of Land Management, will be "putting solar farms closer to transmission lines or on previously disturbed lands and avoiding protected lands, sensitive cultural resources, and important wildlife habitats," as stated by Electrek.
Solar farms create the potential to increase clean energy generation in the U.S., which is crucial in reducing dirty pollution from coal, oil, and natural gas — the main drivers of our increasing global temperatures. They can also give new life to brownfields — former development sites contaminated by hazardous chemicals and toxins, per the Environmental Protection Agency.
A report from The Nature Conservancy details how brownfields created by abandoned mining sites can be repurposed into solar farms.
"Renewable energy development on mine lands is an exceptionally promising avenue to produce clean energy in a way that respects communities and local landscapes," stated Nels Johnson, head of the Mining the Sun project, via the Nature Conservancy.
More solar energy will benefit energy consumers and the environment alike. More clean energy means less air pollution, which is beneficial for human health. You can contribute to reducing energy by installing your own solar panels in your home or investing in community solar programs.
In response to the expansion to 31 million acres, Ben Norris, vice president of regulatory affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association, stated via Electrek: "While this is a step in the right direction, fossil fuels have access to over 80 million acres of public land … One of the fastest ways to decarbonize our grid is to greenlight well-planned clean energy development on federal lands."
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