Effects of Farm Size, Operators, and Operations on Wind Farm Locations

Wind energy has rapidly expanded across the rural U.S. in the 21st century in areas dominated by agriculture. As wind energy facilities are being sited across the agrarian landscape, its development is shaped by the... [ view full abstract ]

Wind energy has rapidly expanded across the rural U.S. in the 21st century in areas dominated by agriculture. As wind energy facilities are being sited across the agrarian landscape, its development is shaped by the characteristics of agricultural operations and operators that make decisions regarding implementation. This research connects the structure of agriculture to the patterns of wind energy development by examining 1) where wind energy is concentrated and 2) what characteristics of agriculture are associated with it at the county level. This exploratory research examines 443 counties with wind energy projects to examine the relationship between the structure of agriculture and associations with turbine density. Data from the 2012 Agricultural Census and energy information from the United States Geological Survey and National Lab of Renewable Energy are examined. This research finds absentee operators and the share of tenant farming to be associated with the density of turbines, while full owner-operators and percentage of small farms are negatively associated with density. These results suggest that wind energy is more concentrated in agricultural areas with modern agricultural characteristics associated with large industrial farming.