Mass renewable energy adoptions require installation to get creative and finding opportunities in the smallest spaces. Massive solar and wind farms are keystones in ramping up renewable energy efforts, but the opposition is stressing land scarcity as a drawback for the transition.
These claims have some validity, but they overlook the malleability of renewable energy and how it can compromise with land management to optimize energy output. There are ways to have renewable energy infrastructure work practically alongside natural environments while capitalizing on more green opportunities than solely energy generation and storage.
Thinking Outside Traditional Farms
The first challenge of land management is space. Only some initiatives can reserve acreage for renewable energy farms or build a geothermal power plant from the ground up. Two prominent solutions are combining energy sites with other business models or redesigning renewable energy to have fewer placement stipulations.
For example, bladeless wind turbines designed as short and large cylindrical towers can be on a residential farm or part of an industrial farm. Innovators reimagined wind turbines because of land use debates and their selective siting options due to wind availability. These bladeless alternatives expand placement options to almost anywhere, removing concerns over land degradation, as small-scale projects are more manageable to curate and oversee in regenerative processes.
Offshore solutions also help with concerns over excessive, bothersome transmission lines and building projects. Floating offshore hydrogen electrolyzers could benefit by creating green hydrogen and providing insights for several industries — like water treatment and aquatic transportation — while adding to terrestrial renewable energy.
Crafting a Well-Managed Renewable Energy Site
What resources and projects are necessary to amplify the usefulness of renewable energy sites? Everything from installation to oversight must shift because every step of the process causes potential pollution or long-term land damage if continued maintenance is sorely required.
Land maintenance can include any of the following:
- Aeration
- Checking pH
- Monitoring for invasive species
- Tending to debris
- Fertilization
On top of continued land care, multiple researchers are posing various solutions. The University of Michigan researchers are experimenting with soil composition and its relationship with solar farms. Using pollinator mixes instead of turf grass invites the necessary natural processes that breed more biomass — a key component in sequestering carbon and repairing damaged land. These strategies prove renewable energy sites can operate with multiple purposes while dispelling myths of environmental destruction.
Research and development like that are one of the most tangible ways to expedite land management possibilities. However, these ideas can only be implemented with public and governmental legislation. The majority must align on these initiatives so regulatory bodies like the Bureau of Land Management can administer land according to national interest.
Benefitting From Synergetic Placement
Land management should consider the surroundings to maximize environmental benefits. Renewable sites can do more than generate power — they can encourage biodiversity, capture carbon, heal soil and help crops with thoughtful placement and planning.
Changes in land management for renewable energy sites have to happen. Otherwise, the pace many nations want to adopt renewables is not sustainable — especially in conjunction with perceived available land for development. However, optimizing renewable energy sites for cross-sector priorities could help with several drawbacks, including:
- Slow development timelines
- Nonresidential land prices
- Energy management and distribution imbalances
- Misalignment of competitive interest
Making Land Management Easy for Renewables
Political and practical fights over land use for renewable energy can be all but eliminated with strategic care and innovation. Leveraging a renewable energy site’s strengths to reduce carbon emissions or help other businesses makes the projects more collaborative, enticing corporate, governmental and individual buy-in for mass infrastructure. People worldwide will see renewable energy sites as less destructive and more opportunistic, giving people a chance to reach climate goals and obtain energy independence.