Utah leaders hinder efforts to develop solar energy supply

Other ranchers told ProPublica they were able to stay on their land and maintain their lifestyle by leasing solar power. Landon Kesler's family, which raises cattle for team roping competitions, has been leasing land for solar energy for more than a decade. This income allowed the family to nearly double its land holdings, providing more space for a ranch, Kesler said.

“I'll be completely honest, it's absurd,” Kesler said of efforts to limit solar energy use on farmland. “Solar has directly helped us secure other properties that will be used for livestock and ranching. It hasn't depleted us; it has actually helped our agricultural business thrive.”

Solar energy lobbyists and executives are working to bolster the industry's image among lawmakers ahead of the next legislative session. They argue that solar energy is a good neighbor.

“We don't use water, we don't need sidewalks, we don't create noise and we don't create light,” said Amanda Smith, vice president of external affairs for AES, which has one solar project in Utah and a second in development. “So we just sit there and produce energy.”

Solar pays private landowners in Utah $17 million a year to lease their land. And more importantly, solar developers say, it's critical to powering the data centers the government is working to attract.

“We are committed to being part of a diversified electricity portfolio and think we bring a lot of value that will benefit communities, keep rates low and stable and help keep the lights on,” Ricky Seguin, executive director of the Interwest Energy Alliance, a Western trade organization that advocates for utility-scale renewable energy projects, told an interim committee of lawmakers this summer.

The message did not go down well with some lawmakers on the committee. Rep. Carl Albrecht, a Richfield Republican who represents three rural Utah counties and was among solar critics last session, said the biggest complaint he hears from constituents is about “that ugly solar installation” in his district.

“Why, Rep. Albrecht, did you allow this solar field to be built? It's black. When you drive past it, it looks like the Dead Sea,” Albrecht said.

This story was originally published ProPublica.