Maine Farmland: Sprouting Solar Crops Needs Policy

Maine farmland is undergoing changes brought upon by an aging population, by a growing trend in small farming, and by keen interest in protecting balance in the ecosystem of farmland soils for future generations. Farming the sun as a solar crop has entered into this dynamic matrix where land stewardship, food security, and conservation goals overlap (Hernandez, Hoffacker, Murphy-Mariscal, Wu, Allen, 2016). Is farming a solar crop compatible with the current ecological and economic landscape? As solar farming continues, is a state policy needed to manage the variables associated with solar crops on agricultural land? The aim of this paper is to examine the needs for policy associated with land and consumer economic protection in the areas of tax credits and net metering alongside identifying potential policy players