Renewable energy resources such as the sun, water, or even the wind can all be converted into energy as opposed to normal, nonrenewable energy like coal and natural gas. These are supposed to be “clean energy” alternatives, but are they? The sun is what keeps us alive,food on the table, and now is providing us energy for limitless opportunities. Solar panels are getting more and more popular in houses, businesses, and now there are solar farms. Texas, primarily west Texas, is the prime place to have them because of the abundance and open landscapes.

There are now 17 solar farms in Texas. Solar farms are getting less costly as more and more people use them since they are getting a tax credit. Since the sun is natural and free to use, it makes sense to use its rays for energy. Using solar power can bring aid to the climate crisis going on since neither the panel nor the solar power plants pollute the air with greenhouse gasses. With these pros and many others to solar farming, there are plenty of cons.

Land waste, sun dependency, and inefficiency are just a couple of disadvantages. These solar panel farms can take at least 100 acres of land to actually profit and produce some kind of usable power. The biggest solar farm in Texas is 1,900 acres; this means that that land cannot be used to grow plants or raise any kind of animals to eat. In hindsight, this particular farm can produce 212.5 MW; for reference, one MW can power a house for 1.2 months. So, there is a lot of energy being produced. However, it depends on what you deem more compatible with the land.

With renewable resources such as these, they are always dependent on something else, therefore, making them inefficient. Turbines are another example of an inefficient renewable resource. The turbines are placed in the best place, but there is no promised wind to make those wings move, just like how the sun is not out 100 percent of the time. With this comes storing the energy which is very costly as well. To counterclaim, renewable resources are a great alternative on paper. No air pollution, no greenhouse gasses, and they help the prevention of climate change. Solar panel farms are also creating more jobs for people, even for some that do not reside in the area of said farm. All in all, nothing is foolproof and there will always be cons, we just have to distinguish what is more important and what the right thing is to do. 

To find out more about these farms check out https://energycapitalpower.com or https://www.eia.gov.