A new report from a solar industry organization refutes the claims of solar farm opponents who contend the renewable energy projects are consuming large areas of valuable farmland. Even in Oklahoma.

Such arguments have been made in Oklahoma including when NextEra was denied its Persica Solar farm in Wagoner County, a denial that is still being fought in the courts. NextEra sued when the Wagoner County Commissioners denied a conditional use permit for a $335 million, 241-megawatt solar facility that would have covered nearly 5,000 acres near Porter.

The Solar Energy Industries Association reports the data tells a very different story than those who condemn the industry for its use of farmland.

A map of the U.S. showed only 2.9 square miles of total land in Oklahoma is used by solar farm projects and only 2.8 square miles overlap with prime farmland.

Of the 68,721 square miles that make up Oklahoma, 31,442.1 square miles are considered to be prime farmland, or 45.75% of the total land in the state.

The SEIA contends that golf courses actually take up more prime farmland than solar farms in Oklahoma. Golf courses cover 49.4 square miles in the state and 23.7 square miles of the courses overlap prime farm land.

The report showed that golf courses in Oklahoma use 8.5 times more prime farmland than utility scale solar projects.

It also pointed out that urban sprawl has used 39.3 times more prime farmland than solar farms in Oklahoma.

Across the U.S., solar farms covered 0.04% of the nation and 0.07% is farmland used by the solar projects. But prime farmland used by golf courses is 2.6 times higher than solar while suburban sprawl from 2014-2024 is 5.9 times higher.

What the SEIA reported:

How Much Farmland Does Solar Actually Use?

Solar energy is increasingly scrutinized for its use of farmland. But the data tells a very different story.

This interactive map puts solar development in context by comparing prime farmland used for solar with other major land uses, including golf courses, suburban development, and abandoned farmland.

The takeaway: solar occupies a remarkably small share of America’s farmland, especially compared to permanent land conversion from low-density sprawl and recreational uses.

Key Findings

• Solar currently uses just 0.04% of total U.S. land area and 0.07% of U.S. farmland.
• There are zero states where solar uses more than 0.5% of prime farmland.
• Nearly every state has more abandoned prime farmland than solar-developed prime farmland.
• Golf courses use nearly 3x more prime farmland than solar.
• Suburban development uses roughly 6x more prime farmland than solar.

Why It Matters

America depends on land to grow food, build communities, and power our lives. Responsible land use means balancing all of those needs.

Unlike many forms of development, solar projects can provide long-term revenue for farmers, support dual-use agricultural practices in many regions, and remain a flexible land use option over time.

There is tremendous solar potential in the United States. In five minutes, enough sunlight shines on the continental U.S. to satisfy our electricity demand for an entire month. Research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows that the entire U.S. could be powered by utility-scale solar occupying just 0.6% of the nation’s land mass.

A utility-scale solar power plant may require between 5 and 7 acres per megawatt (MW) of generating capacity. Like fossil fuel power plants, solar plant development requires some grading of land and clearing of vegetation. However, as utility-scale photovoltaics (PV) technology has improved over the last decade, projects are able to utilize land with much steeper slopes and no water access.