University of Pittsburgh Professor Shanti Gamper-Rabindran spoke with local radio program The Allegheny Front this week to discuss the results of a Pitt survey studying rural farmers’ views on solar projects.
The survey, recently published in the journal Energy Research and Social Science, includes insights Gamper-Rabindran and her team gleaned through conversations with 32 farmers and 16 non-farmers in Appalachian counties across southwestern Pennsylvania and Maryland. While some local governments have taken measures to limit or block solar projects in their area, the team of Pitt researchers found that there is significant support for these sorts of programs among rural Appalachian farmers and residents.
“[T]here is tremendous support for solar in rural communities, but the solar project has to be tailored in a way that fits with the agricultural activity and with the agricultural landscape,” Gamper-Rabindran shared in the interview.
Farmers who support solar projects explained that they were facing challenges in farming, including weather disruptions that they attributed to climate change. Many saw solar leasing as an avenue to diversify their income while being compatible with their ethic of stewarding the land. Rural residents who supported these projects also shared that they saw solar leasing as a strategy for protecting the continuity of their farming communities.
"Designing these projects to ensure they provide benefits to the local host community is critical," Gamper-Rabindran acknowledged.
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