The Biden administration has updated the roadmap for solar development to 22 million acres of federal lands in the US West.
  • Montagge@kbin.social
    282·
    10 months ago

    Which will eventually be sold to private entities and public land will continue to disappear. Just like all of the public land Weyerhauser has gobbled up and shut off access. Oh I’m sorry you could pay $350 for a yearly pass that they only put a handful of out.

  • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
    201·
    10 months ago

    We don’t really need new area for solar. We’ve got plenty, and I mean plenty, of developed hard surfaces panels can be put on top of.

    Also, they already usually have infrastructural connection to power, so thats a bonus.

  • Brkdncr@lemmy.world
    173·
    10 months ago

    How many acres of parking lots does the federal government own that could accomplish this without disturbing the environment?

      • Brkdncr@lemmy.world
        91·
        10 months ago

        It’s just frustrating when people talk about solar they seem to be ok with wrecking the environment. It would be relatively easy to retrofit parking lots.

        People also talk about turning roads and sidewalks into solar. It’s like parking is some sort of untouchable structure that we can’t demand be part of the solution.

        • Hugin@lemmy.world
          42·
          10 months ago

          It’s much more expensive and slower to put a solar roof on a parking lot then it is to drop it in a field.

    • dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world
      41·
      10 months ago

      Good point. I was gonna say, acres upon acres of solar farms would be equivalent to paving the land they’re on. And unlike the African Sahara, we don’t have much in the way of actual wasteland with zero life around here.

      Someone further down the comment chain suggested parking lots. Rooftops would be a better move too - just need a tax incentive and we’re off to the races.

  • kool_newt@lemm.eeEnglish
    61·
    10 months ago

    Solar is great, but decentralization is the way. Not this centralized, metered, power centralizing “green energy”.

  • wewbull@feddit.ukEnglish
    51·
    10 months ago

    Approx 250 acres to a square km, so let’s call this 100,000 sq km of land. That’s about a fifth of what would be needed to power the world.

    So, is the US now planning on powering Canada and South America too, or is something funny going on?