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Mercedes settles with US States for $150 Million over Diesel Scandal
Mercedes-Benz reached a settlement of $149.6 Million with U.S. States to end a??long-running probe into allegations that the German automaker had cheated on diesel emissions, New York Attorney-General Letitia Jim said Monday. The automaker said that the deal effectively ended its legal issues in America over Dieselgate - first discovered at Volkswagen in September 2015 - and the emissions scandal. Mercedes has agreed to pay $149.6 millions and provide $2,000 in payments for eligible owners and lessors of vehicles that have received the required emission repairs. Mercedes agreed to take a number of 'actions' to avoid future misconduct, and to comply with the oversight requirements. According to the states, Mercedes had installed illegal software that was not disclosed in its diesel vehicles, which hid true pollution levels and incorrectly reduced emissions during government tests. However, in normal driving conditions the vehicles emit up to 30 or 40% more than the legal limit. MERCEDES SAYS THE BOTTOM LINE OF THE GROUP WILL NOT BE AFFECTED Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares stated that?the settlement includes the estimated?39.565 U.S. cars that have not been repaired or removed permanently from the road by the end of August 2023. Mercedes must cover the cost of installing the approved software for emission modification on all affected vehicles, provide consumers with an expanded warranty and pay them $2,000 each. Mercedes' spokesperson stated that the bottom line earnings of the group would not be affected, and "sufficient provisions have been made for the cost of the overall settlement". In a press release, the company stated that final court approval is required for these settlements. Mercedes-Benz has agreed to pay $2.2billion in 2020 to settle a U.S. Government investigation into diesel emissions cheating and to settle claims from 250,000 U.S. car owners. The automaker is required to pay $120 million immediately as part of the settlement announced Monday. The suspension of $29.6 millions will result in a reduction by $750 per affected Mercedes vehicle that is repaired, taken off the market or bought back. In 2020, the states will launch an investigation into Mercedes-Benz following Volkswagen's diesel emission scandal. VW paid more than $20 billion to settle fines and penalties after admitting in 2015 that it had installed "defeat devices", sophisticated software and other methods of cheating emissions tests in almost 11 million cars worldwide. Some of the biggest automakers in the world continue to be sued over the scandal. Mercedes could face further payouts in England where it's one of many companies, including Ford, Nissan, and Renault, facing a mass suit launched in October. Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Valerie Volcovici and Rachel More from Berlin, with editing by Barbara Lewis.
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Italian prosecutors request that the case against suspected Russian drones be dropped
Two sources with knowledge of the case said that Italian prosecutors who were investigating suspected Russian drone flight over an EU space-research centre had concluded that their suspicions weren't based and asked for the case to be dropped. The Milan prosecutor's office found that the interference caused by a private GSM signal booster in Ispra near Italy's Lake Maggiore, which is near the European Joint Research Centre (JRC), was actually responsible for 21 alleged overflights. Flights are banned over the JRC. The JRC was established in 1960 to conduct nuclear research. In March, after receiving alerts from the facility's security team, the prosecutors opened an investigation into "possible political or military espionage" for terrorist purposes. They suspected the presence of a "Russian-made drone." Sources said that the investigation revealed the false positives were caused by interference from both the centre's security system and the GSM amplifier at a nearby house. The?judge of the Milan court now has to decide whether or not to accept the request from the prosecutors and drop the case. This is a normal formality. NATO allies accuse Russia frequently of mounting hybrid attacks against the West via hacking, sabotage, and?espionage. Moscow denies these allegations and says the West is causing anti-Russian sentiment. According to the JRC's website, the Ispra campus is the third largest research campus in Europe after Brussels and Luxembourg. It works on topics ranging from nuclear security and space, to sustainable resources, immigration and transport. (Reporting and editing by Gavin Jones, Frances Kerry, and Emilio Parodi)
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Mercedes Benz settles with US States for $149,6 Million over diesel emissions
Mercedes Benz reached a settlement of $149.6 Million with U.S. States to resolve a long-running probe into allegations?of cheating on diesel emissions?by the 'German automaker New Letitia James, York Attorney General, said on Monday. The settlement reached with Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and 48 U.S. States includes the following: Mercedes will pay $149.6 millions and make $2,000 payments to owners and lessees of vehicles that require emissions repairs. Mercedes also 'agreed' to take a number of steps to prevent further misconduct and comply with the oversight requirements. The States?said Mercedes Benz has agreed to pay $2.2billion in 2020 to settle a U.S. government investigation into diesel emissions cheating and the claims of 250,000 U.S. car owners. In a new settlement, Mercedes Benz must pay an immediate $120 million to the states. The remaining $29.6 millions is suspended, and the amount will be reduced by $750 per affected vehicle Mercedes repairs or removes from the market. It paid out more than $20 billion in fines and penalties after admitting?in 2015 that it had cheated on emissions tests by installing sophisticated software and "defeat devices". Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Valerie Volcovici
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Trump names envoy to Greenland and stirs up backlash
U.S. president Donald?Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as his special ambassador to Greenland on Sunday, drawing renewed criticism from Denmark and Greenland about Washington's interests in the mineral rich Arctic island. Trump has argued that Greenland should become a part of the United States. He cites its strategic importance as well as its mineral resources. Landry, the governor who assumed office in January 2024 publicly supports this idea. You cannot annex a country. In a joint press release, Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen stated that they would not annex another country. "Greenland is owned by the Greenlanders, and the U.S. will not take it over." Trump said in a post at Truth?Social: "Jeff knows how important Greenland to our National Security is, and will work hard to advance our Country's interests for the safety, security, and survival?of allies and the world." The White House didn't immediately respond to comments. Landry thanked Trump in a post he made on X: "It is an honor... to serve... as a volunteer in this position in order to make Greenland a member of the U.S." This does not affect my position as the Governor of Louisiana! The Trump administration increased pressure on Copenhagen on Monday when it suspended the leases of five large offshore projects that were being built off the East Coast in the United States, including two developed by Denmark's state-controlled Orsted. GREENLANDS STRATEGIC VALUE Greenland is a former Danish Colony with 57,000 people. A 2009 agreement gives it the right to declare its independence, but the country remains heavily dependent on Danish subsidies and fishing. The strategic location of the country between Europe and North America is a major site for U.S. missile defence systems, while its rich mineral resources have increased U.S. interests in reducing their reliance on Chinese imports. Greenland's Nielsen posted on Facebook that "we have woken again with a new statement from the U.S. President." This may sound important, but for us it doesn't change anything. "We decide our future." DIPLOMATIC TENSIONS ESCALATE Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish Foreign Minister, said on Monday that he will summon U.S. The U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Howery had pledged "mutual" respect during his recent visit to Greenland. "At the drop of a hat, there's now a U.S. special presidential representative who is, according to him,?tasked with assuming control over Greenland. Rasmussen said on TV2 that this was, "of course, totally unacceptable". Denmark has been trying to mend strained relations with Greenland in the last year. It also tries to ease tensions with the Trump Administration by investing in Arctic defense to respond to U.S. critics of inadequate security. In an Instagram post, Prime Minister Frederiksen stated: "It's a difficult situation our lifetime allies put us in." Mikkel Vedby, a professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen, said: "This appointment proves that all the money Denmark invested in Greenland and in the defense of the Arctic as well as all the nice things we've said to Americans have had no impact at all." Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in New York, Arathy Sommesekhar, in Houston, and Jacob GronholtPedersen, in Copenhagen. Additional reporting by Anusha Shah in Bengaluru; SOren Sirich Jenppesen, Stine Jacobsen, in Copenhagen. Editing by Saad, Gareth, and Ros Russell.
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Pension dispute may prolong the strike at Brazil's Petrobras
Union leaders and executives have said that a dispute over payment deductions involving about 50,000 retired Petrobras workers may prolong the strike at Brazil's state-owned oil company. The central issue in the strike that has now lasted a week is resolving the deduction of around 20% from 'pensioners' pay slips by the largest pension funds of the company. A company source who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the solution was neither simple nor cheap. The impact, he added, would be in the billions. Union leaders say that deductions are due to a shortfall on the accounts of the funds. Negotiations about how to cover this have been going on for over two years. The amount Petrobras will need to pay to cover the shortfall was not disclosed by either side. The strike affected oil platforms in the Santos-Campos basins as well as refineries and biodiesel plants. Petrobras said that the strike "has not affected production" despite the two accidents that occurred on platforms, which union leaders blamed on the use of contingency teams by the company. Letter of Commitment Even if Petrobras and the unions reach an agreement, it would still be necessary to have the matter approved by oversight agencies, which could take several months. To end the strike, union leaders only want a letter from Petrobras stating that it will reduce payment deductions substantially. Union leaders decided to strike to pressure the firm ahead of Brazil's presidential election in 2026. They feared that talks could stall and that if leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, who is sympathetic to workers' demands, loses his re-election campaign, it would undo years' worth of work. Paulo Cesar Martin is a director of the FUP union. Petros, the company that manages Petrobras’ pension funds, has said this issue is being given priority. According to union leaders, in addition to pension issues, higher wages are on the table for negotiation.
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German Engineers are Building Future-Proof Forests
Forest engineers use biodiversity for future-proofing forests Plantations of Spruce are vulnerable to pests and climate change Long-term forest restoration is hindered by financial challenges Joanna Gill From the 35-metre tower, all that is visible now is a flattened plateau. The trees are gone after being wiped out by a bark beetle infestation in 2018. Experts call this "calamity" that happened so quickly, 60-year-old oak trees fell in a matter of weeks in this forest in North Rhine-Westphalia along Germany's border to the Netherlands and Belgium. Petra Trompeter of Arnsberg's city forestry department said, "It is shocking for me, and for every forester." She was squinting in the low winter sunlight from the base the tower. Over many years, storms and droughts created conditions that allowed bark beetles the opportunity to consume rows upon rows of spruce. According to the World Meteorological Organization, 2024 will be the first year that global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). Climate change disasters will increase in intensity and frequency in a warmer world. They could also threaten the ability of forests to absorb carbon and thousands of jobs in the tourism and wood sectors. The independent Expert Council on Climate Issues in Germany warned that the country may miss its climate targets after 2030 as forests and wetlands, which were previously carbon sinks, are now becoming sources of emissions as a result of forest degradation. Forest engineers in North Rhine-Westphalia are now working to create resilient forests by combining tree species. This is part of a European Union-funded program. Trompeter said that even before the disaster we had been working to make the forest more diverse and structurally rich. The calamity forced us to act more quickly. Future Forests After World War Two, Germany planted spruce trees to harvest timber to pay reparations owed by the Allies. The species is favored by timber producers for its rapid uniform growth. These single-species plantations make?North Rhine-Westphalia’s forests vulnerable to heat, pests and drought. When everything is going well, the returns are positive, but when extreme weather causes mass tree losses, these are seen as "inevitable". Monoculture plantations may also be partly responsible for Germany's forests being unable to absorb carbon. He said that "natural forests can hold a lot more carbon." Diversification has been identified as a possible solution and is currently being tested across Europe. The 20 million-euro SUPERB Project, led by the European Forest Institute, and funded through the EU Green Deal, has seen forestry experts from Sweden to Spain set up twelve demonstration sites, including Arnsberg, in order to restore habitats, and transform monocultures. The Arnsberg area is 34 hectares and includes both public and private land. Forestry experts carefully selected four conifers and broad-leaf trees they believed could adapt to altitude and climate, and withstand hotter and dryer conditions in the future. Marcus Lindner is the head of resilience at the European Forest Institute. While the majority of forestry experts agree that variety is important, there are differing opinions on how to achieve it. Others prefer curated plantings of local species while others want to experiment with nonnative trees. Trompeter explained that this is not possible because nature protection laws in North Rhine-Westphalia only allow for local species. "And there we reached our limit." Banning on Biodiversity According to the German Agriculture Ministry, trees?play a critical role in the economic system, providing 76 million cubic meters of timber each year, 750,000 employment opportunities in forestry and wood, as well as boosting the rural economy through eco-tourism. Rouven Soyka is the press officer of the Sauerland Tourism Board. The Sauerland region in?North Rhine-Westphalia has a hilly terrain that's a popular hiking destination. However, the massive dieback caused the area to be unrecognisable to some visitors. Nature tourism is affected by all means. It's very important that nature is preserved in our classic outdoor region. Many forest owners cannot afford to reforest without state subsidies that do not cover the entire cost. Peter Jungermann says that he must think twice about investing in high-maintenance broad leaf varieties, rather than market-friendly conifers. This is especially true given the financial pressures on forest owners. It can be a "existential threat" to the nursery if he makes the wrong decision about which tree he should plant. The shifting political winds can also complicate planning for the future. Due to the backlash of businesses and farmers, key laws that were meant to be part the EU's Green Deal have been watered-down in the last year. It is still unclear how much money the EU budget for 2028-2034, which amounts to 2 trillion euros (2.35 trillion dollars), will allocate to forest restoration. Negotiations are expected to take place over the next two-year period. The German budget for 2026 prioritizes defence and infrastructure as the government tries to revive a sluggish economic. Trompeter said that forests are essential to human life and the health of the planet. "Where else can we spend it than on preserving nature and making it climate resilient?"
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Bonds and world stocks are tumbling, but the yen is not helping.
Wall Street opened higher, while the yen fell to near-all-time lows versus the euro. Higher interest rates put pressure on Japanese government bonds. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4%. Nasdaq futures gained 0.1%. MSCI's broadest world share index added 0.2%. Due to the fact that the?U.S. The?U.S. Investors are primarily focused on closing the year before January's inflation and labour market releases," he said. Even though it was a holiday-shortened weekend for most of the world, momentum funds continued to flow to equities and precious metals ahead of delayed data which is expected to show that the U.S. economic growth has been strong in the third quarter. Median estimates predict an annualised increase of 3.2%. This is due to a steep drop in imports following a surge earlier in the year in anticipation of tariffs. Analysts at BofA cautioned that their measure of investor confidence had moved to extreme bullish territory, at 8.5. This is often the prelude to an eventual reversal. The Fund Manager Survey reveals the most positive sentiment in three-and-a half years. This is due to expectations of tariff and tax cuts, as well as rate reductions. European shares dithered 0.2% lower Monday in thin markets as investors began a week shortened by holidays on a tepid tone following the previous session’s record high close. The Nikkei 225 index of Japan closed up 1.8%. This was a continuation of Friday's gains, as the sharp decline in yen is expected to boost Japanese export earnings. Chinese blue-chip stocks closed almost 1% higher. The Bank of Japan increased rates to a 30 year high of 0.75 percent and warned that more would be raised, which would have a devastating effect on government debt. The yields on 10-year government bonds soared another 6 basis points, to 2.08%. This is the highest level since 1999. The minutes of the BOJ's meeting are due Wednesday. On Christmas Day, the head is scheduled to speak at a Japanese business group. On Interception Watch The yen reached a new record low against the euro of 184.92. The dollar gained 0.3% to 157.37. Investors were wary about testing the November high of 157.90, in case Tokyo intervened. Japanese officials have expressed their concern about the one-way movement and warned against excessive decline. Analysts at TD Securities reported that equity markets saw their largest weekly inflows ever at $98 billion, with U.S. equity fund leading the way. Chinese equity funds recorded their third-largest weekly inflow since 2025. Emerging markets also saw their biggest inflow since April. The fourth consecutive week saw a slowdown in the flow of?tobonds. The yields on U.S. 10 year bonds increased by 2 basis points, to about 4.169%. On Monday, gold jumped above the $4,400 per ounce mark for the first-time, fueled by a combination of growing expectations about further U.S. interest rate cuts, and strong demand from safe-haven investors. Silver has also reached a new record high of $69.44. This brings the gains for this year up to nearly 140%. Oil prices rose after the U.S. intercepted an oil tanker from Venezuela over the weekend and were pursuing another in what would have been the third such operation within two weeks. Brent crude oil jumped $1.13 cents, to $61.60 per barrel. U.S. crude oil rose $0.06 cents, to $57.56 a barrel. (Reporting and editing by Stephen Coates, Toby Chopra and Wayne Cole)
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After a zero-fee processing deal, copper reaches new highs
The copper price reached a new record high on Monday. This was largely due to speculation and news of a Chinese smelter's zero-fees processing agreement. Benchmark - three-month copper at the London Metal Exchange rose 0.6% to $11,955 per metric tonne by 1100 GMT after touching a record high of $11,996. LME copper prices have risen 36% in the past year. This is largely due to fears of mine problems causing deficits for next year. Sources said that the supply concerns were highlighted 'on Friday, when Antofagasta Chilean miner and a Chinese Smelter agreed to a 'zero processing fee in 2026 for copper concentrate. This was the lowest amount ever agreed upon during annual negotiations. When supply is restricted, processing fees will decline. Commodity Market Analytics' managing director, Dan Smith, said that the markets are generally buoyant. This shows there is a lot of liquid in the system. Gold and silver reached record levels, as oil prices soared. Smith said that although copper prices were still high, the demand for it was waning. "It seems like the demand is slowing down." "EV sales have slowed down and the consumer economy in China is showing signs of weakness." The most active copper contract at the Shanghai Futures Exchange ended daytime trading with a 1.7% increase to?94320 yuan (about $13,397.92 per ton). Nickel, the top performer at the LME, rose 1.6% to $15.040 per ton following reports last week that the country would reduce its mine production in 2026. SHFE nickel climbed for the fourth session in a row, reaching a record high of more than 121 360 yuan, which is the highest level seen in over a month. ($1 = 7.0399 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Eric Onstad; Additional reporting by Lewis Jackson and Dylan Duan in China; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) $1 = 7.0399 Chinese Yuan Renminbi (Reporting and editing by Emelia Sithole Matarise; Additional reporting in China by Lewis Jackson, Dylan Duan and Emelia Sithole Matarise).
As solar capacity grows, some of America's the majority of productive farmland is at threat
Dave Duttlinger's very first thought when he saw a thick band of yellowishbrown dust smearing the sky above his Indiana farm was: I cautioned them this would occur.
About 445 acres of his fields near Wheatfield, Indiana, are covered in photovoltaic panels and associated equipment-- land that in April 2019 Duttlinger leased to Dunns Bridge Solar LLC, for one of the biggest solar advancements in the Midwest.
On that blustery spring afternoon in 2022, Duttlinger stated, his phone sounded with concerns from disappointed next-door neighbors: Why is dust from your farm inside my truck? Inside my home? Who must I contact us to clean it up?
According to Duttlinger's solar lease, examined , Dunns Bridge stated it would utilize commercially reasonable efforts to lessen any damage to and disturbance of growing crops and crop land caused by its building activities outside the project website and not get rid of topsoil from the property itself. Still, sub-contractors graded Duttlinger's fields to help the structure of roads and installation of posts and panels, he said, despite his warnings that it might make the land more susceptible to disintegration.
Crews reshaped the landscape, spreading great sand across large stretches of rich topsoil, Duttlinger said. When visited his farm last year and this spring, much of the land beneath the panels was covered in yellow-brown sand, where no plants grew.
I'll never ever be able to grow anything on that field again, the farmer stated. About one-third of his roughly 1,200-acre farm-- where his family grows corn, soybeans and alfalfa for livestock-- has been rented.
The Dunns Bridge Solar project is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC, the world's biggest generator of eco-friendly energy from wind and solar. Duttlinger stated when he approached NextEra about the damage to his land, the company stated it would evaluate any restorative work needed at the end of its agreement in 2073, based on the terms of the arrangement.
NextEra declined to talk about the matter or on what future dedications it made to Duttlinger, and could not independently validate them. Job designer Orion Renewable Energy Group LLC directed concerns to NextEra.
The solar market is pushing into the U.S. Midwest, drawn by less expensive land rents, access to electric transmission, and a. wealth of federal and state rewards. The region likewise has what. solar needs: wide-open fields.
A renewable resource boom runs the risk of damaging some of America's. richest soils in essential farming states like Indiana, according to a. analysis of federal, state and local information; numerous. pages of court records; and interviews with more than 100 energy. and soil researchers, agricultural economic experts, farmers and. farmland owners, and regional, state and federal lawmakers.
Some of Duttlinger's farm, consisting of parts now covered in. solar panels, is on land categorized by the U.S. Department of. Farming (USDA) as the most productive for growing crops,. according to a analysis.
For landowners like Duttlinger, the guarantee of profits is. appealing. Solar leases in Indiana and surrounding states can. provide $900 to $1,500 an acre per year in land rents, with yearly. rate increases, according to a evaluation of solar leases. and interviews with four solar project designers. In. contrast, farmland lease in top corn and soybean manufacturers. Indiana, Illinois and Iowa balanced about $251 per acre in 2023,. USDA information shows.
Farmland Partners Inc, an openly traded farmland real. estate financial investment trust (REIT) has actually leased about 9,000 acres. nationwide to solar companies. Much of that ground is highly. productive, said Executive Chairman Paul Pittman.
Do I believe it's the very best usage of that land? Probably not. However our investors would kill us if we didn't pursue this, he. stated.
Some renewable energy designers said not all leases become. solar projects. Some are designing their sites to make it. possible to grow crops between panels, while others, like Doral. Renewables LLC, said they utilize animals to graze around the. panels as part of their land management. Designers likewise argue. that in the Midwest, where more than one-third of the U.S. corn. crop is used for ethanol production, solar power is key for. powering future electric automobiles.
Some farming economists and agronomists counter that. taking even percentages of the very best cropland out of production. for solar advancement and destructive important topsoil effects. future crop potential in the United States.
Typical solar farm construction practices, consisting of cleaning. and grading large sections of land, likewise can lead to considerable. disintegration and major overflow of sediment into waterways without. proper remediation, according to the U.S. Environmental. Defense Company and the Justice Department.
Solar development comes in the middle of increasing competitors for. land: In 2023, there were 76.2 million - or nearly 8% - fewer. acres in farms than in 1997, USDA information shows, as farmland is. converted for domestic, commercial and industrial use.
In reaction to ' findings, USDA said that city. sprawl and development are presently bigger contributors to. farmland loss than solar, citing reports from the Department of. Energy and agency-funded research.
BUILDING ON PRIME CROPLAND
No one knows just how much cropland nationwide is presently under. solar panels or leased for possible future development. Land. offers are normally personal transactions. Scientists at the. United States Geological Study and the U.S. Department of. Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have actually been. putting together a database of existing solar centers throughout the. country. While that task is incomplete and continuous, . discovered that around 0.02% of all cropland in the continental U.S. intersected in some method with large-scale, ground-based solar. panel sites they had actually recognized since 2021.
The overall power capability of the solar operations tracked in. the information set represents over 60 gigawatts of electrical power. capability. In the following 2 years, solar capacity has nearly. tripled, according to a Dec. 2023 report from the Solar power. Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie.
To much better understand future land-use patterns, . evaluated federal government data to recognize cropland that USDA. classified as prime, special, or of regional or statewide. significance. likewise reviewed more than 2,000 pages of. solar-related files filed at regional county recorders' offices. in a small sample of four Midwestern counties-- Pulaski, Starke. and Jasper counties in Indiana, and Columbia County in. Wisconsin.
The counties, representing a location of land somewhat larger. than the state of Delaware, are where a few of the nation's. largest jobs are being developed or built. The sample is not. necessarily representative of the broader United States but. provides a concept of the prospective impact of solar projects in. farm-heavy counties.
discovered the percentage of these counties' many. efficient cropland secured by solar and energy business as of. end of 2022 was as follows: 12% in Pulaski, 9% in Starke, 4% in. Jasper and 5% in Columbia.
Jerry Hatfield, previous director of USDA Agricultural. Research Service's National Lab for Farming and the. Environment, said ' findings in the four counties are. worrying.
It's not the number of acres converting to solar, he said. It's the quality of the land coming out of production, and what. that suggests for regional economies, state economies and the. nation's future abilities for crop production.
More than a dozen agronomists, in addition to renewable energy. researchers and other specialists sought advice from , stated the. technique to determining solar's impact was fair. The news company. also shared its findings with six solar developers and energy. firms operating in these counties. Three said ' sample size. was too small, and the variety of findings too broad, to be a fair. representation of industry siting and building and construction practices.
By 2050, to satisfy the Biden Administration's decarbonization. targets, the U.S. will need approximately 1,570 gigawatts of electrical. energy capability from solar.
While the land needed for ground-based solar advancement to. achieve this goal will not be even by state, it is not expected to. go beyond 5% of any state's acreage, other than the smallest state of. Rhode Island, where it could reach 6.5%, by 2050, according to. the Energy Department's Solar Futures Study, released in 2021.
Scientists at American Farmland Trust, a non-profit. farmland defense company which champs what it calls. Smart Solar, anticipated in 2015 that 83% of brand-new solar power. development in the U.S. will be on farm and ranchland, unless. existing federal government policies changed. Nearly half would be on the. country's finest land for producing food, fiber, and other crops,. they alerted.
FUEL ARGUMENT
Five renewable designers and solar energy companies interviewed. counter that the market's use of farmland is too. small to impact domestic food production in general and should be. stabilized with the requirement to decarbonize the U.S. energy market in. the face of climate change.
Doral Renewables, the designer behind the $1.5 billion. Mammoth Solar job in Pulaski and Starke counties, does not. think about corn or soybean yields in its siting decisions.
Instead, the company looks at the land's topography, zoning. and closeness to an electrical grid or substation-- and tries to. prevent wooded locations, ditches and environmentally sensitive locations,. said Nick Cohen, Doral's president and CEO.
Moving corn acres for solar? I do not see it as changing. something that is vital to our society, Cohen stated. Solar can. make farmland more efficient from an economic perspective, he. added.
Indiana farmer Standard Welker says he got a much better deal leasing. 60% of his farmland to Mammoth than he would have growing corn,. with rates dipping to three-year lows this year.
We have actually got mounds of corn, we're listed below the expense of. production, and today, if you're leasing land to grow corn--. you're losing cash, Welker said. This way, my financial. circumstances are very good..
(source: Reuters)