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China’s Cities Face Tough Choice: More Green Energy or Food

Floods, droughts and food-supply snafus are making China more wary of wind and solar developments that eat up farmland.

Farmers harvest mushrooms from beneath photovoltaic panels in Guizhou Province at a power station designed to reduce the impact on agriculture.

Farmers harvest mushrooms from beneath photovoltaic panels in Guizhou Province at a power station designed to reduce the impact on agriculture.

Photographer: VCG/Getty Images

By
Bloomberg News

China’s plans to accelerate its world-leading expansion of solar and wind power are facing a major hurdle as floods, droughts and food-supply issues present authorities with a reality check about how much precious farmland the nation can afford to lose.

Solar and wind farms have been supercharged in the past two years since Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a 2060 target for the nation to be carbon neutral, creating an incentive for local governments to allow more large-scale renewable energy projects.