Thousands of acres of crop land getting turned into solar farms across the Midwest

[4rcgoat]

You think it’s right wing groups pushing for solar subsidies?

The fact you can’t fathom or acknowledge that both sides are more often than not, really shitty is quite telling as well.

And yes, companies are always going to cut corners that risk both safety and environmental impact. That’s not a blame shift, but an acknowledgment that there is a need for regulation. You are starting to sound like a right winger assuming oil companies are just going to police themselves…

Both sides are equally worthless

 

[Michael Rankin]

Anyone that tells me these huge solar farms or huge wind farms like in the Columbia gorge are a step on the right direction for the environment or wildlife is either lying to me, or lying to both of us

 

[MattB]

So are they responsible for destroying habitat in the name of the environment or not?

I get pissed at Republicans when they try to sell public land, why shouldn’t I get pissed at Democrats when they subsidize “green” energy that destroys habitat?

What about the republicans who sell the land?

 

[Michael Rankin]

Coincidentally,

I think the proponents of solar and wind farm’s probably are huge wine fans.

That is another ecological disaster that tons of people want to ignore.

I have watched the northern willamette valley change so much over the last 20 years. Lots of the rolling hills that were a great mixture of habitat and had diverse wildlife have been cut down, bulldozed, high fenced, and planted with grapes. Anything in the fence that’s not a grapevine or grape is shot or killed. Try being a deer near a new winery! There’s a bullet with you name on it

I’ve never heard a peep about the amount habitat that has been destroyed for growing grapes on the west coast in the last 3-4 decades.

Not trying to detail the thread, but the damage is similar to solar farms ect.

 

[Red Letters]

Someone ask the ding bat kamala since she said asphalt roads exasperates the heat effect, in poor communities…what do these acres of black glass mirrors do

 

[Azone]

How long is a solar panels working life and how is it disposed of?

 

[Newtosavage]

And I know what a partisan that has too much hubris to admit that “their” side might not be right on everything looks like as well.

The fact you, as a supposed hunter and conservationist, can’t view bulldozing and developing thousands of acres of crop fields that support healthy and sustainable populations of deer, turkey, migratory birds, and countless other species with just a tinsey bit of healthy skepticism says who the real partisan is.

You’ve been lied to, and it’s ok to come to that realization.

LOL I'm the least "partisan" person you'll meet on these boards my friend. I think both parties are full of sht.

The fact that you think crop fields are teeming with wildlife tells me what I need to know about your knowledge of ecology though. Nice try with the "sustainable" tho.

News flash - we've both been lied to. It's up to us to know when.

 

[BuckeyeRifleman]

LOL I'm the least "partisan" person you'll meet on these boards my friend. I think both parties are full of sht.

The fact that you think crop fields are teeming with wildlife tells me what I need to know about your knowledge of ecology though. Nice try with the "sustainable" tho.

News flash - we've both been lied to. It's up to us to know when.

Sure…

And I never said “teeming.” Speaking of putting words in people’s mouth…

But they do at least support some wildlife.

Unlike this.


You sound just like the die hard Republican who is thoroughly convinced selling off public land he’s never seen or hunted is a good idea.

 

[Yoder]

LOL I'm the least "partisan" person you'll meet on these boards my friend. I think both parties are full of sht.

The fact that you think crop fields are teeming with wildlife tells me what I need to know about your knowledge of ecology though. Nice try with the "sustainable" tho.

News flash - we've both been lied to. It's up to us to know when.

Comparing a corn field to a sea of solar panels is just crazy. Crop fields in my area support all kinds of wildlife. Bears, deer, every kind of small game animal. They are literally teeming with life. So much so that deer are getting smashed all over the place trying to get into the fields. With solar panels the grass won't even grow. I do agree both parties are garbage. One would sell their soul for oil and coal the other for windmills and solar panels. I'm waiting for them to start selling Federal lands to pay off the National debt. Maybe China can turn Yellowstone into a giant theme park.

 

[4rcgoat]

Comparing a corn field to a sea of solar panels is just crazy. Crop fields in my area support all kinds of wildlife. Bears, deer, every kind of small game animal. They are literally teeming with life. So much so that deer are getting smashed all over the place trying to get into the fields. With solar panels the grass won't even grow. I do agree both parties are garbage. One would sell their soul for oil and coal the other for windmills and solar panels. I'm waiting for them to start selling Federal lands to pay off the National debt. Maybe China can turn Yellowstone into a giant theme park.

^^^maybe with high altitude balloon rides

 

[JjamesIII]

So I fly for the NG part time. I’ve noticed in the last year or so solar farms are all of the sudden popping up everywhere, seemingly overnight.

Below are a few pictures I snapped the other night. This thing was massive, and more was being added. It was absolutely disgusting to see. View attachment 521194View attachment 521195View attachment 521196
Hundreds if not thousands of acres of habitat and hunting opportunity destroyed. Meanwhile there is a massive and sprawling warehouse district next to the airport. I haven’t seen a single solar panel on a roof.

Where the **** are our conservation organizations on this!? I’m not sure how anyone can witness this and defend it as better for the environment. It’s simply maddening, and it feels like there isn’t a damn thing I or anyone can do about it.

Biden and his followers have a much different vision of what “green energy” actually looks like. Idiots. Batteries and polymer panels apparently are an inconsequential form of energy.

I do excavation, you should see all of the plastic bullshit the epa makes us put in the ground and implement as “storm water protection” because they worry about the potential silt leaving the job site. Miles of silt fence that goes right in the landfill to keep a 18 month job in compliance. Inlet protection, underground detention….. it’s endless and it’s all plastic. Or truck loads of chemicals for stabilization. Government knows best, keep it green sleepy Joe.

 

[Newtosavage]

Comparing a corn field to a sea of solar panels is just crazy. Crop fields in my area support all kinds of wildlife. Bears, deer, every kind of small game animal. They are literally teeming with life. So much so that deer are getting smashed all over the place trying to get into the fields. With solar panels the grass won't even grow. I do agree both parties are garbage. One would sell their soul for oil and coal the other for windmills and solar panels. I'm waiting for them to start selling Federal lands to pay off the National debt. Maybe China can turn Yellowstone into a giant theme park.

Nowhere did I compare corn fields with solar panels. I was responding to the idea that corn fields (or big ag in general) was "teeming with wildlife." Yea, okay so some geese and deer populations might be artificially supported by the presence of cornfields, but compare that land to what was there when it was native tallgrass prairie and there is no contest. Hence my "ecology" comment.

I don't like oceans of solar panels either but I've seen what oil and gas production facilities and infrastructure do to an area, but nobody here seems to be upset about those - mostly because it's not politically correct for the right to complain about oil and gas production. So instead they whine about renewable energy production that has far fewer effects on our health and the environment. Ironic on a forum where most folks say they love the outdoors really.

 

[wnelson14]

Perhaps the benefit there is less corn to make high fructose corn syrup. And less soybean oil. Then less will be added to every sku in groceries stores that FDA approves… which are killing all of us daily, should we partake.

Don’t forget, crop farming isn’t about feeding the world. It is about selling commodities.

Can’t argue with that

Comparing a corn field to a sea of solar panels is just crazy. Crop fields in my area support all kinds of wildlife. Bears, deer, every kind of small game animal. They are literally teeming with life. So much so that deer are getting smashed all over the place trying to get into the fields. With solar panels the grass won't even grow. I do agree both parties are garbage. One would sell their soul for oil and coal the other for windmills and solar panels. I'm waiting for them to start selling Federal lands to pay off the National debt. Maybe China can turn Yellowstone into a giant theme park.

i understand you statement and agree with you to an extend but how many mice, snakes, gophers, rabbits, ground nesting birds, bugs, rodents etc survive a corn field through the entire season? I would say it’s pretty slim your just putting more emphasis and more importance to the animals you like to hunt.

 

[ODB]

The scam of green energy is evidenced by how many companies are getting involved in it to make a mint.

Also look up recycling solar panels. Not what materials are theoretically recyclable, but the efficiency (greenness) of actually recycling them. Most aren’t. They are shredded and tossed.

There is also a theoretical boom coming when companies finally figure out how to cost effectively recycle them, until then, the greenwashing will continue until there’s no gas left.

 

[ozyclint]

Interesting. Don’t tell Biden , he can tax us harder.

I’m an electrician and have done a lot of solar and battery projects in remote places. Metering and controlling of nat gas wells and pipelines.

There will have to be a huge advance in battery tech to work on a large scale.
I was using 4 big deep cycle batteries and 400 watts of solar just to provide 24 hour power to a well pad.

There are ideas to pump water up to elevated reservoirs during the day using excess electricity, then empty the reservoir overnight, generating hydro power.

Truth is, we don’t have much “Excess electricity“.

Someday, they will figure it out, but more people = more needs.

We have some pumped hydro capacity in our 'Snowy Hydro' system but being the flattest, driest inhabited continent on the planet doesn't lend itself to large scale pumped hydro systems.

 

[Iowafarmer]

So I fly for the NG part time. I’ve noticed in the last year or so solar farms are all of the sudden popping up everywhere, seemingly overnight.

Below are a few pictures I snapped the other night. This thing was massive, and more was being added. It was absolutely disgusting to see. View attachment 521194View attachment 521195View attachment 521196
Hundreds if not thousands of acres of habitat and hunting opportunity destroyed. Meanwhile there is a massive and sprawling warehouse district next to the airport. I haven’t seen a single solar panel on a roof.

Where the **** are our conservation organizations on this!? I’m not sure how anyone can witness this and defend it as better for the environment. It’s simply maddening, and it feels like there isn’t a damn thing I or anyone can do about it.

I don’t know where to start with this one. I’m old enough to remember when the same idiots that are pushing global warming/ climate change were saying we were heading into another ice age. All they know for sure is there’s a major crisis and we need them “the smart people “ to fix it. Really I guess I’d rather see the solar fields than those stupid inefficient wind turbines. $250000 fine for shooting an eagle but the wind turbines can grind em up all year long and it’s all paid for with our tax money leave it up to the power companies they’d put in highly efficient clean burning coal

 

[Jermh]

I'm a carpenter at a large construction company and do large structural concrete stuff. The company I work for also happens to be big into solar work. Just started a 4k acre solar job in Illinois. Anyone comparing reclaimed coal mines to reclaiming solar field just doesn't get it. A 4k acre field with thousands on thousands of micro pile drove in the ground is gonna be an absolute nightmare to reclaim

 

[Crghss]

As someone who works for a power company I can tell you coal is done. We’ve replaced all coal plants with natural gas. If you‘ve ever seen each plant run you’d understand.

Gas takes about a quarter of the number of people to run. No ash ponds that store poison, forever. The list is long.

As for solar/wind, storage batteries have reached the point that make green energy economically on par with with carbon sources.

I believe we need a mixed portfolio of Nuclear, Gas and Solar/wind for electricity.

US gov’t permitting and bureaucracy makes building new Nuclear plants Impossible to build. Gov’t needs to fix this.

The US needs to start working on green hydrogen. Switch aviation and trucking to fuel cells.

 

[MallardSX2]

^^As someone who works for the power company, how could you even consider wind and solar? Lol

I truly don’t get it.

We should 100% be burning natural gas as there is enough natural gas in Pennsylvania to run the entire country for 500 years….

Underground all of our power and immediately cut solar and wind projects that created a HUGE above ground footprint just to build the stupid things….

 

[4rcgoat]

As someone who works for a power company I can tell you coal is done. We’ve replaced all coal plants with natural gas. If you‘ve ever seen each plant run you’d understand.

Gas takes about a quarter of the number of people to run. No ash ponds that store poison, forever. The list is long.

As for solar/wind, storage batteries have reached the point that make green energy economically on par with with carbon sources.

I believe we need a mixed portfolio of Nuclear, Gas and Solar/wind for electricity.

US gov’t permitting and bureaucracy makes building new Nuclear plants Impossible to build. Gov’t needs to fix this.

The US needs to start working on green hydrogen. Switch aviation and trucking to fuel cells.

Coal is going nowhere