The Battle Over Solar on Farmland

Oregon farmers Dave Rogers and John Langdon are locked in a neighborhood dispute over the proposed Muddy Creek Energy Park, a three-mile solar installation planned by Seoul-based Hanwha Qcells that would integrate solar panels with agriculture. Langdon has leased his family farmland for the agrivoltaics project and plans to grow crops and graze sheep under the panels, while Rogers leads a PAC called Friends of Gap Road that has distributed opposition signs across the valley. The project has stalled for three years due to Oregon's strict Land Use Act, which requires public input and approval from a seven-person local council for solar developments over a dozen acres. Rogers argues the development threatens tens of thousands of waterfowl that use the area, while Langdon maintains it will help keep his family farm viable for future generations. The dispute reflects a broader national divide, with surveys showing at least 30 percent of American farmers firmly opposed to agrivoltaics despite the technology's rapid growth to 600 sites producing 10 gigawatts of energy as of 2024.