Midwest farmers, like Clara Ostrander, are embracing solar power to preserve their land and pass it on to the next generation. . Previous studies identified at least 1,800 local zoning restrictions on wind projects as of 2021, such as setback requirements, and approximately 800 restrictions on solar projects. Local governments have imposed at least 2,600 restrictions on wind and solar power projects in their jurisdictions. . Driven by subsidies, mandates and federal and state policies compelling the use of more renewable energy, solar energy facilities are now displacing farmland at an increasing rate. While land leases generally offer protection for landowners so that farms can be reclaimed from the solar. . A solar plant in Guizhou Province, China, where massive installations are being built on arable land. FeatureChina via AP Images Solar and wind farms are proliferating and increasingly taking up land worldwide, prompting criticism from rural communities and environmentalists. Credit: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images The United States. .
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