After a decade of managing energy projects, I'm convinced that solar farms aren't the environmental win everyone claims when you factor in land use and panel disposal. Our county just approved a 200-acre solar installation on prime farmland, and locals are split between welcoming the tax revenue and mourning the loss of fertile soil. Panels only last 25-30 years, and recycling them is still a mess. But I also know climate change won't wait, so I wonder: is the trade-off worth it?