AFT Publishes Solar Energy Guide for Intermountain West Agricultural Landowners 

First guide for Montana and Wyoming landowners focuses on legal and regulatory landscape, farming conditions, and long-term land use, among other issues 

(Washington, DC) As interest and activity in solar development increase nationwide, American Farmland Trust (AFT) published the first guide for Montana and Wyoming landowners to help assess solar energy development growth. According to research, solar developers are particularly drawn to farmland and rangeland because of their size, flat, tree-free terrain, accessibility, and proximity to existing power grid infrastructure.     

“The purpose of this guide is to help agricultural landowners understand the broader context of solar leasing, focusing on issues, risks, and potential benefits before deciding whether to enter into a lease agreement,” said AFT Pacific Northwest Deputy Director Chantel Welch. “Our goal is to leave landowners better prepared to navigate these conversations, and to highlight opportunities to maintain agricultural production on their lands.”  

Montana and Wyoming each currently source less than two percent of their electricity from solar, ranking 45th and 47th, respectively, of the 50 United States.  Montana has expanded solar since 2017, installing several large utility-scale solar projects. Wyoming was just behind Montana, with its first utility-scale solar development in 2018. Both states have solar energy projects in the proposal stage, with several more approved developments across the region. The growth of these projects is driven by increased energy demands, a need to meet clean energy goals by individual consumers or large-scale purchasers of power, and the decreasing cost of solar technology, which is now cost-competitive with other energy sources including wind, hydro, coal, and natural gas. 

Both states seek to implement large-scale solar projects, including community, utility-scale, and commercial. Community projects allow multiple people to benefit from solar energy; utility-scale projects generate power for distribution to the grid; and commercial projects serve a single business client.  

Opportunities may exist for Montana and Wyoming landowners to benefit from implementing agrivoltaics, a form of dual-use solar designed to integrate solar power generation with the production of marketable agricultural products. Agrivoltaics is an emerging practice that addresses the growing demands for renewable energy while also preserving agricultural production. By integrating solar power into agricultural operations, landowners can generate an additional revenue stream and contribute to sustainable farming practices.   

"We at Powder River Basin Resource Council are pleased to see this detailed, helpful resource for Wyoming's ranchers and farmers,” said Powder River Basin Resource Council Executive Director Donna Birkholz. “The fact-based and careful explanations throughout this guide will help those who are considering utility-scale solar projects on their land truly understand the potential impacts and how to navigate the decision-making process with their operation's future in mind."  

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American Farmland Trust (AFT) is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms No Food® message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 8 million acres of agricultural land, advanced environmentally sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and supported thousands of farm families.