Keith Hastie makes good points about the enormous shortfall between current solar capacity and its renewable energy targets (“Our path to a better energy future,” Recorder, July 22). He is correct that rooftops, parking lots, and landfills alone would be insufficient to attain these goals. We need to do more.
Where I disagree with him is in the solution. He advocates for clearing limited forested areas to build solar farms. There is some debate as to the wisdom of this strategy because forests sequester carbon and provide habitat for wildlife. I would suggest instead greater adoption of agrivoltaics. Agrivoltaics is the simultaneous use of the same plot of land for both agriculture and solar power generation. There are many benefits to agrivoltaics, as it utilizes land that is already cleared, it provides shade for crops that do not thrive in full sun, it provides shade for livestock, and it provides a diversified income for farmers.
Agrivoltaics is a relatively new innovation that can provide both energy and financial benefits, without harming wildlife habitat. This is a win-win that we can all get behind.
Jonathan Quint
Milford