I rejected solar panels on my roofs for a reason. They're sold by scammers who prey on naive businesses by promising positive press. That's why I know, first hand, how the solar panels that I see covering our farm land are a big problem that must be addressed.

Why farmland solar is problematic

Solar panels are still evolving and it's stupid to invest in technology that will be obsolete in a few years. Better to wait until solar is an obvious win. It's not. .

Solar panels cannot be recycled. Once solar panels are built they quickly become enormous pieces of junk as newer, better, and cheaper panel technology is developed.

Solar technology is ineffective relative to alternatives. We should always optimize to be green in the best way possible. Many green technologies are superior to solar.

Solar technology works best in sunshine states. New York isn't Florida, Sunny California or the Las Vegas desert. It’s dumb to sacrifice farmland when our climate isn't solar-friendly.

Solar technology is extremely high maintenance. Our taxpayers pay a fortune to maintain solar panels that clutter farmland. Snowy climates are nightmarish for solar maintenance.

Maintenance is especially bad in New York because we have snowy months that are brutal for those tasked with maintaining the panels.

Solar is good in some ways

Despite the obvious drawbacks of solar on our farmlands, solar isn't all bad. Residential solar is promising. We don't lose farmland and other resources when citizens install solar roofs. We also don't burden taxpayers with solar maintenance costs with residential solar.

Residential solar is the fastest evolving category of solar because it makes the most sense. Elon Musk is leading the way developing beautiful solar roofs that improve roof durability while providing backup power and integrate with his other green technologies.

The future of solar is in solar roofing, not solar on farmlands. Citizens who buy solar roofs help the market evolve faster. I suspect solar roofs will become so good it will make sense to install on lots of commercial roofs too. I'll be the first to install them once they’re an obvious win.

How to fix the problem 

Farmland is for crops not virtue signaling. I will use my position in Congress to investigate the lucrative deals that cluttered our farmland with nonsensical solar panels. I suspect many bad actors are involved and profited from bad deals that screw us over for their benefit. I look forward to stopping the stupidity, exposing the bad actors and helping our farmers as the next Congressman from NY21.