According to the latest IPCC report, human induced climate change poses grave and accelerating threats to ecosystems, biodiversity and society. In response to climate policy and advances in technology, the US is embarking on a transformative shift toward renewable energy generation. A challenge for land trusts is that renewable energy, notably utility scale solar, is land intensive and often sited on prime agricultural lands, grassland habitat and forests. Projects planned, sited, and developed in ways that amplify benefits to community, conservation, and climate interests are more likely to avoid project delays, increased costs, and risk of cancellation while supporting a sustainable and equitable clean energy transition.
In a presentation + discussion format, this workshop will feature perspectives from three experts in renewable energy and land conservation. We will share new tools and strategies that land trust can use to effectively engage constituents, policy makers, landowners, project developers, and other stakeholders interested in large scale renewable energy project planning. Our session will touch on wind energy but focus primarily on utility scale solar. (According to the Biden administration's Solar Futures Study, 10 million acres of rural land will be needed for solar to meet aggressive decarbonization goals over the next 25 years.) This workshop will feature the latest renewable energy mapping analyses from The Nature Conservancy and American Farmland Trust, as well as ecosystem-friendly and restorative design best practices developed by the Great Plains Institute. The workshop will cover emerging best practices and tools to enhance project co-benefits (including wildlife habitat and stormwater management) and strategies to make solar more compatible with agriculture and farmland protection, a key focus for many land trusts.