Is solar really overrunning farmland? Data in North Carolina says no.

But in rural communities, the lingering perception that large-scale solar installations are overtaking the landscape can also come from a place of good faith. Without doubt, the vast majority of utility-scale solar fields in the state — about 34,000 out of 40,000 acres — are on agricultural land, according to the report. And in some places — especially in wide, flat eastern North Carolina — the concentration of large-scale solar on farmland is substantially higher than the statewide figure. Even with the incentives Dixon seeks to abolish, counties are earning vastly more property tax revenue from farmland with solar than from farmland without, researchers say. Even so, many in the state’s powerful $111 billion agricultural industry remain deeply skeptical of solar.