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Around the world, farmers are retooling their land to harvest the hottest new commodity: sunlight. As the price of renewable energy technology has plummeted and water has gotten more scarce, growers are fallowing acreage and installing solar panels. Some are even growing crops beneath them, which is great for plants stressed by too many rays. Still others are letting that shaded land go wild, providing habitat for pollinators and fodder for grazing livestock. According to a new study, this practice of agrisolar has been quite lucrative for farmers in Californias Central Valley over the last 25 yearsand for the environment. Researchers looked at producers who had idled land and installed solar, using the electricity to run equipment like water pumps and selling the excess power to utilities. On average, that energy savings and revenue added up to $124,000 per hectare (about 2.5 acres) each year, 25 times the value of using the land to grow crops. Collectively, the juice generated in the Central Valley could power around 500,000 households while saving enough water to hydrate 27 million people annually. If a farmer owns 10 acres of land, and they choose to convert 1 or 2 acres to a solar array, that could produce enough income for them to feel security for their whole operation, said Jake Stid, a renewable energy landscape scientist at Michigan State University and lead author of the paper, published in the journal Nature Sustainability. The Central Valley is among the most productive agricultural regions in the world: It makes up just 1% of all farmland acreage in the United States, yet generates a third of the nations fruits and vegetables. But its also extremely water-stressed as California whiplashes between years of significant rainfall and drought. To irrigate all those crops, farmers have drawn so much groundwater that aquifers collapse like empty water bottles, making the earth itself sink by many feet. Farmers cant make their crops less thirsty, so many have been converting some of their acreage to solar. The Central Valley is ideal for this, being mostly flat and very sunny, hence the agricultural productivity. At the same time, farmers have been getting good rates for the electricity that they offset and send back to the grid. A large array of solar panels near crop fields along Highway 41 in Californias Central Valley [Photo: George Rose/Getty Images] Now, though, California has adopted standards that reduce those rates by 75% on average. For a farmer investing in panels, the investment looks less enticing. The algebra or calculusor whatever math discipline you want to referenceit just doesnt work out the same way, said Karen Norene Mills, vice president of legal advocacy at the California Farm Bureau, which promotes the states agricultural community. Also, the study found that by fallowing land for solar panels, food production in the Central Valley dropped by enough calories to feed 86,000 people a year. But, Stid said, markets can adjust, as crops are grown elsewhere to make up the deficit. By tapping the sun instead, Stid added, growers can simultaneously help California reach its goals of deploying renewable and reducing groundwater usage. The tension, though, is meeting those objectives while still producing incredible quantities of food. That is always our concern about some of these pressures, Mills said. But this isnt an either-or proposition: Many farmers are finding ways to grow some crops, like leafy greens and berries, under the panels. The shade reduces evaporation from the soil, allowing growers to water less often. In turn, a wetted landscape cools the panels, which improves their efficiency. This is the compromise thats going to allow for both energy independence and food security, said horticulturalist Jennifer Bousselot, who studies agrisolar at Colorado State University but wasnt involved in the new study. Farmers are also turning livestock loose to graze under their panels. Their droppings fertilize the soil, leading to more plant growth and more flowers that support native pollinators. The grass, its so much more lush under the panels, its amazing, said Ryan Romack, founder of Virginia-based AgriSolar Ranch, which provides grazing services. Especially when the sheep have been on site long-term, you can really see the added benefits of the manure load. Then, if a farmer decides not to replace the solar panels at the end of their lifespanusually around 25 or 30 yearsthe soil will be refreshed with nutrients and ready to grow more crops. Even if a grower simply lets them sit for decades without any management, the fallowing can restore the soils health. We really see solar as a collective landscape, Stid said, that can be sited, managed, and designed in a way to benefit both people and the planet and ecosystems as well. By Matt Simon, Grist This article originally appeared in Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Sign up for its newsletter here.
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Over the years, Ive likely wasted thousands of dollars on forgotten subscriptionsand Im not alone. A 2022 survey by research firm C+R found that 42% of Americans had paid for subscriptions theyd forgotten about. Its easy to lose track, especially when payments are scattered across credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, and app store accounts. Heres how to track down and cancel those forgotten charges. Subscription management apps: Rocket Money, Hiatus, Trim Dedicated services are among the most effective tools for finding and canceling forgotten subscriptionsand potentially switching to cheaper or free alternatives. But they come with a trade-off: To work, these tools require access to your personal financial data, which can be used for marketing and may compromise your privacy. The more companies that hold your data, the greater your risk in the event of a breach. If thats a concern, dont worrywell explore lower-risk options farther down. I tested three services: Rocket Money, Hiatus, and OneMain Trim. All three can identify old subscriptions for free. Rocket Money and Hiatus also offer to cancel them for youfor a fee. These services connect to your financial accounts using Plaid. While Plaid doesnt share your login credentials, it does access other types of data. In 2022, the company settled a $58 million class-action lawsuit related to its data practices and agreed to limit what it stores and delete certain user dataa process it said was already in progress. Rocket Money identified seven of my nine active subscriptions, including an Apple bundle. It offered to cancel five of themif I subscribed to its pay-what-you-want plan, offering me a range from $6 to $12 per month after a seven-day free trial. The plan also includes budgeting and expense-minimizing tools. Some services, like Apple, require manual cancellation, it said, as Rocket Money cant act on a users behalf in all cases. However, Rocket Moneys privacy policy allows it to use a broad range of personal data for marketing its sister companies, including Rocket Mortgage. The company says it doesnt share financial data like transaction history or account balances with affiliates, but it does share other personal details for advertising purposes. (Rocket does have an opt-out for residents of states that require it: California, Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, Oregon, Texas and Virginia.) Hiatus uncovered five subscriptions, including those from Apple. It could cancel two if I signed up for its Premium plan: I was offered the choice of from $10 to $21 per month (or $48 per year). This plan includes access to other financial tools. The company says it doesnt sell personal data to third parties without consent, but it didnt respond to multiple requests for clarification. Trim, which focuses specifically on subscription tracking, stood out for its clarity and privacy stance. It found all nine subscriptions and had the cleanest, most intuitive interface. While it doesnt cancel subscriptions on your behalf, it provides clear instructions and links to do so. Trims privacy policy states it doesnt share data with third parties, though it does share some information with its parent company, OneMain. Users can opt out of advertising. Despite lacking automated features, Trim offered the best overall balance of accuracy, privacy, and affordability. Manual Methods to Find Subscriptions If youd rather not link your financial accounts, you can manually weed through charges to them. Even if you use a management service, a manual check can catch what it may miss. Listings on mobile devices To find subscriptions on Android devices, go to the Google Play app home screen, tap your avatar at the top right, then tap Payments & Subscriptions > Subscriptions. On iPhones and iPads, go to Settings, click your name, and click Subscriptions. Stored browser logins and password managers Check saved website login data for more clues. In Google Chrome on a computer, click the three-dot menu icon in the upper right, then Passwords and autofill > Google Password Manager. In Apple’s Safari, click Safari > Settings > Passwords. If you use a password manager like 1Password or Dashlane, check them, too. Emails from subscription services You will often get emails from services you subscribe to, such as welcome messages or updates to privacy policies. Search for text like free trial, terms, welcome, privacy policy, your account, or update for clues. How to cancel subscriptions yourself If you’re not using a subscription management app (or if it can’t cancel all accounts for you), try searching the web for something like “cancel subscription new york times” (which worked). Or ask a chatbot. I prompted ChatGPT with: How do I cancel a [name of service] subscription? Provide links to the relevant account pages where possible. It found the right links for Apple, ChatGPT, Evernote, Flickr, Google, Hulu, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and missed only MIT Technology Review. The step-by-step instructions were right or close to right in most cases. Canceling all your unwanted subscriptions could take half a daybut the savings will likely be worth the time.
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When a SpaceX Super Heavy rocket launches at the Boca Chica launch site on the Texas Gulf Coast, car alarms wail, dogs bark for miles, and astronomers as far away as Puerto Rico have said they can see and hear the rocket as it takes flight. Witnesses have said it sounds like the loudest thing Ive ever heard, with sound waves whipping over your body; it feels like its almost pushing you back sometimes. At peak volume, its as loud as a gunshot, even though it’s 73 football fields away. Thats not the only impact on this coastal area on the southeast tip of Texas, according to local environmental groups. Birds, animals, and other wildlife have been damaged by nearby rocket launches, claims Mary Angela Branch, a board member of Save RGV, a nonprofit environmental justice group that has opposed efforts by SpaceX to expand and increase launches near important wetlands and protected parkland. SpaceX has previously denied the accuracy of these environmental claims. Boca Chica, Texas, October 17, 2021. [Photo: Mark Felix/Bloomberg/Getty Images] Its a dead zone now, said Branch, who has had a home in the area for nearly a decade. Its the saddest thing, since it was a very underappreciated area. Youd see herons, ducks, butterflies, birds, and egrets on the tidal flats. There is nothing there now, its just brown and dead. Another organization, Defenders of Wildlife, has chronicled habitat destruction from falling debris and wildfires. (The organization, which has sued the FAA and SpaceX, declined to comment for this story.) Advocates like Branch and local environmental groups fear damage could increase when Starbase becomes not just a company facility and launch sitebut its own town. Local votersa majority of whom work for SpaceXwill be voting on whether to incorporate Starbase, potentially turning the companys Texas base into its own municipality. Early voting has already begun, with election day on May 3. A New York Times analysis of the voting population found that most of the electorate are men with no voting history in Texas and an average age of 27. The proposal is expected to pass. The company has been quiet about the reasons it wants to create what amounts to a 1.5-square mile company town. Repeated attempts to contact SpaceX for this story were unsuccessful. But some local advocates like Branch suggest it might help the company increase its launch cadence and expand its footprint on the Gulf Coast. (The Boca Chica site launched rockets a handful of times last year.) Elon Musks work with DOGE and deregulation, as well as the potential for lucrative new contracts with the federal government, might give the company billions of dollars and an appetite for more launches and new facilities. Starbase launch facility under construction, October 17, 2021. [Photo: Mark Felix/Bloomberg/Getty Images] Theres an assumption that giving SpaceX control of a town would mean an expansion of the firm and its workforce, especially as the town grows. Municipalities have the right to annex property, which might be used to grow Starbase and add more land for housing and manufacturing. SpaceX had tried a land swap with a surrounding state park, but the company backed out of the negotiations without giving a reason. A Bloomberg reporter speculated that they may have found a different way to expand their operations. Cities can have zoning and other authority, but I haven’t thought through how this could impact the area, said Cyrus Reed, Legislative and Conservation Director for the Sierra Clubs Lone Star Chapter. In a letter sent to officials in Cameron County, which includes Starbase, facility manager Kathryn Lueders wrote that incorporation will streamline the processes required to build the amenities necessary to make the area a world-class place to livefor the hundreds already calling it home, as well as for prospective workers eager to help build humanitys future in space. The company is already building a $15 million retail complex and $100 million manufacturing and industrial site. Local advocates arent as excited. I don’t think SpaceX’s goal is to become a municipality to have stricter environmental regulations, Branch said. Currently, a law in front of the Texas legislature would grant municipalities the ability to close eaches for spaceship launches. The authority would likely only apply to SpaceX and their activities in Boca Chica. It was defeated the first time it came up for a vote in committee, but Branch said it could still be passed before the Legislature adjourns on June 2. Environmental groups like the Sierra Club and the Surfrider Foundation successfully opposed the bills passage before. These public officials are showing that they are bought and paid for by Elon Musk and SpaceX,” read a statement Josette Angelique Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, sent to The Texas Tribune. Branch said incorporation wont change regulatory oversight of launches, and it’s unlikely the new municipality would be able to write its own regulations. But shes worried about the likely increase in launches, regardless of whether or not the incorporation takes place: SpaceX has petitioned the FAA to increase its annual launch allowance from 10 to 25, and the agency has yet to rule. Expansion may not be as easy as simply winning the incorporation vote, said Neil Carman, the Sierra Clubs Texas Clean Air Program Director. The process would take about a year to be successfully chartered as a new city. But he said that, once complete, the process will likely help Starbase quickly approve new housing. Visitors walk around Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on October 12, 2024. [Photo: Sergio Flores/AFP/Getty Images] Its a move that also comes with a cost, Carman said. Cities are required to construct water utility plants and wastewater treatment plants, which will cost millions and require state approvals and permitting, and local neighbors in the county could delay the process. That could slow down Starbase expansion. But water infrastructure may also be an investment SpaceX eventually needs to make. According to Craig Nazor, a Sierra Club conservation chair, the companys launch-cooling system uses potable water imported from nearby Brownsville. It will need to expand to meet more frequent launches. Doing so may be easier with local government control. Building this and a sewer system will be an environmental challenge in the area, Nazor said. Controlling the road, once jurisdiction is established, coupled with the increase in launches, will also likely permit them to close the road at other times, as needed, when moving equipment to the launchpad, which uses the same road that provides access to the beach. Branch sees this incorporation vote as a larger effort by SpaceX and other companies to build more spaceports along undeveloped parts of the Texas coast. Shes worried more expansion, and a larger SpaceX foothold on the coast, will only lead to more environmental degradation. They want to privatize our beach, and close us off, Branch said.
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