Abandoned farmlands could play a role in fighting climate change.

[Meredith Poor + 887]

 

https://news.wisc.edu/abandoned-farmlands-could-play-a-role-in-fighting-climate-change-a-new-study-shows-exactly-where-they-are/

Link to atlas website:

https://atlas.glbrc.org/

The amount of abandoned land mapped out here is easily more than the total needed to power the US with solar panels. The screenshot of the atlas shows a region of upstate New York just south of Lake Ontario. New York State alone has enough abandoned land to power the entire country if this assessment is reasonably accurate.

As discussed in a separate post, the land area needed is a square about 60 miles by 60 miles. Obviously further south is better, so south and west Texas have gobs of unused real estate. For the land in South Texas, I've seen some of it personally. A lot of it is oil country, particularly Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale.

Edited May 29 by Meredith Poor
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[TailingsPond + 551]

36 minutes ago, Meredith Poor said:

 

As discussed in a separate post, the land area needed is a square about 60 miles by 60 miles. Obviously further south is better, so south and west Texas have gobs of unused real estate.

Further south is not always better.  The increased sunlight intensity can be offset by increased risk of damaging storms.  Better to build in areas that don't routinely get hit with tornados or hurricanes.  Also the distance to major population centres / industry is another very important factor to consider in order to minimize transmission losses.

[Meredith Poor + 887]

2 hours ago, TailingsPond said:

Also the distance to major population centres / industry is another very important factor to consider in order to minimize transmission losses.

Which is why I brought up New York State. Population density thins out in a ring that surrounds the NYC area, leading from western Connecticut and Massachusetts down through central New York and the middle of Pennsylvania. The northwest corner of Pennsylvania is surprisingly thinly populated.

[specinho + 445]

12 hours ago, Meredith Poor said:

 

https://news.wisc.edu/abandoned-farmlands-could-play-a-role-in-fighting-climate-change-a-new-study-shows-exactly-where-they-are/

Link to atlas website:

https://atlas.glbrc.org/

The amount of abandoned land mapped out here is easily more than the total needed to power the US with solar panels. The screenshot of the atlas shows a region of upstate New York just south of Lake Ontario. New York State alone has enough abandoned land to power the entire country if this assessment is reasonably accurate.

As discussed in a separate post, the land area needed is a square about 60 miles by 60 miles. Obviously further south is better, so south and west Texas have gobs of unused real estate. For the land in South Texas, I've seen some of it personally. A lot of it is oil country, particularly Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale.

Not sure if you have noticed, those areas highlighted by the map as abandoned land, especially the middle red and yellow part, is the path for cyclone, hurricane, tornado and such which happen in very high frequency each year?

And probably flood too. If you could recall this path would receive water from four to five lakes in Canada when ice melts each year.

As mentioned by @TailingsPond if nobody is staying there nor there is industry that requires high power, it might not be worth it. Also mentioned are possible onset of intensity of heat and damage of panels by hurricanes.

Instead of having solar panels to generate electricity, better solution could be:

a) changing the landscape to

- reduce formation frequency of cyclone, hurricane, tornado

- minimize damage caused by annual disaster. 

b) creating a solution for excessive spring water received 

 

When negative impact of microclimate change is tackled, energy requirement,  especially on heating/ cooling, through out the continent or country could probably be changed or reduced.