As society moves toward cleaner energy, solar power is playing an increasingly important role. In Virginia, growing interest in renewable energy is encouraging planners and developers to identify suitable sites for solar farms.

But building a large solar installation isn’t as simple as placing panels wherever there’s sunlight. Solar panels require land, and in a state where agriculture contributes over $82 million to the economy, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, it raises the question: Where can solar be built without sacrificing valuable farmland or disrupting local communities?

The study, published in December 2025 in the journal Renewable Energy, looked at three counties: Goochland, Hanover, and Powhatan. Instead of broad regional models, the researchers focused on individual land parcels to see which parcels might be good for solar. This approach is not used often, but it makes the findings especially useful for local planners trying to balance energy, land use, and community values.

The study considered the following factors for each parcel:

  • How close the parcel is to existing electricity infrastructure  
  • Accessibility by road
  • Whether the land is physically suitable (e.g., flatness, soil, terrain)
  • Local zoning regulations
  • Whether the parcel is designated as prime farmland

The researchers applied a decision-making method called the Weighted Product Model (WPM), combined with geographic information systems (GIS), to rank parcels by suitability for either classic solar farms (PV) or combined solar and agricultural (Agrivoltaics or AgriPV) systems. 

The results indicate that fewer than two percent of the parcels evaluated were suitable for traditional solar farms, while less than one percent were appropriate for agrivoltaic development.

Most of the “good” parcels for solar, whether PV or AgriPV, were on prime farmland. That means there’s a real risk: if the region chooses the easiest lands for solar, it could displace important agricultural land and erode farmland preservation goals. 

Another major finding was about local zoning laws. In one of the counties studied, zoning restrictions alone disqualified up to ninety percent of parcels that would otherwise have been physically suitable for PV development. 

Even when the researchers considered a scenario where prime farmland could be used for AgriPV (solar and continued agriculture), fewer than one percent of parcels remained viable under all criteria. 

Solar energy is needed for a cleaner future, but solar expansion could erode farmland and undermine local community values unless done carefully.

“Our research shows just how limited and how valuable the right land for solar development really is,” said Michael Cary, research assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. “If we don’t look closely at where solar can go, we risk trading away prime farmland in the process. By analyzing suitability parcel by parcel, we’re giving planners the tools they need to expand clean energy in a way that protects the agricultural foundation Virginia depends on.”

The paper was also co-authored by Gabe Wiggins ’25, who worked on the study as an undergraduate student, and Susan Chen, Clemson University. The research was funded by the Data Analytics in Agriculture, Community, and Rural Economics (DATA-ACRE) program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, as part of the Kohl Centre at Virginia Tech’s Data Science for the Public Good program.

Original study: DOI 10.1016/j.renene.2025.124822

By: Melissa Vidmar
vidmar@vt.edu