AgNet West’s Josh McGill Questions the Cost of Solar “Green” Energy on Ag Land
As California continues its push toward clean energy, the agricultural community is raising red flags over the unintended consequences of solar development on farmland. AgNet West’s own Josh McGill investigated the issue and found a troubling contradiction: while farmers are restricted from pumping groundwater due to SGMA regulations, massive lithium mines required for solar battery storage are being greenlit—drawing water from the same aquifers.
“How are you going to have water to mine lithium, but not water to grow an almond crop?” — Josh McGill
McGill explains that the growing demand for solar energy will depend heavily on lithium-ion batteries, which require materials like lithium and cobalt—resources often tied to intensive water use and unethical labor practices abroad.
“They want to paint this warm, fuzzy picture of solar,” McGill said. “But what about the child labor in Africa used to mine the cobalt for these batteries?”
The lithium mine planned for Southern California is expected to use significant groundwater—water that farmers are currently barred from using for their crops under SGMA. The situation raises serious questions about the priorities of California’s environmental policy and whether it fairly balances renewable energy goals with the realities of agriculture.
Nick Papagni, host of The Ag Meter, summed it up best:
“If this story doesn’t wake you up with solar and ag land, I don’t know what will.”