One criticism of solar energy is that solar panels take up land that is needed for farming, even though many alternatives siting for panels have been developed. Some farmers are putting panels in the air and growing plants underneath; some panels are being placed on former landfills; and there are solar arrays on dams, lakes and old mine tailings ponds.

Then, listening to the radio this week, I heard one more idea – putting solar arrays on the many abandoned oil drilling sites in Alberta. These sites have already been removed from agriculture and disturbed as road access is built, but abandoned by the companies that drilled them.