I am in the initial process of securing a property from my friend’s ex-dairy farm in Ontario with the intention of putting a solar farm on it.  We are not as far advanced as the Stardale Project in East Hawkesbury Township. This is a small 120-acre farm.

After initial discussion with my friend, one of his first questions was "doesn’t it seem a shame to put all this good agricultural land under solar panels?" His question sounds simliar to the concerns of farmers in your front page article "Solar power pits farmers against farmer" in the February issue.

Here is my response to my friend:

We are engaged in "Solar Farming", with emphasis on the word "Farming". We are harvesting the sun for use by consumers.

Your farm had a difficult time making a sufficient income for your family in using the land for a dairy operation just like I did when I farmed (35 cow dairy operations are not financially viable anymore).

Currently you rent to a cash cropper, which barely covers your property taxes.

During your dairy days, you produced 1,000 litres of milk per day. If the average consumer uses 1/2 litre per day (2 glasses of milk) then your farm helped approximately 2,000 people.

The solar farm will produce enough electricity for about 5,000 homes. If each home averages three people per household, the solar farm will supply clean, renewable energy for approximately 15,000 people

Therefore in your situation, "solar farming" actually helps more people than regular farming, plus it will reduce our dependency on coal fired plants, reduce pollution and benefit everyone on our earth...all good stuff!  I am not saying that all prime agricultural land should be converted to solar farms, in fact I would strongly oppose that. But in your situation it is a great thing.

If Ontario introduces more connection points, in 25 years time, your prime agricultural land can be cleared of solar panels and returned back to agricultural land (but leave the scrub land in solar for ever).

The Ontario Government will pay .42 cents a Kilowatt for the initial pilot solar projects (note, once the cost of solar installation comes down this figure will be reduced for future solar projects). Currently Germany pays 80 cents per kilowatt for their solar farms.

We as tax payers will pay nothing towards the solar farm until it actually produces electricity.

On a personal level this will eliminate your debts with the added benefit of a job on the solar farm.

Orleans

Former dairy farmer