Can we talk about the cost of solar panels vs community gardens?

Last Tuesday I went to a town meeting in Portland where two groups were fighting over a vacant lot. One side wanted to put up solar panels to power 30 homes. The other side wanted to turn it into a community garden for about 50 families. The solar panel group said they could save people $200 a year on bills. The garden folks argued that fresh food access matters more than electricity savings in a food desert. I sat there thinking both sides had valid points but nobody was talking about doing both projects together. We ended up with a split vote and nothing got built. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of trade off in their neighborhood?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_west213d agoTop Commenter

Wait, $200 A YEAR in savings? That's it? For the whole lot? I thought solar would be way bigger savings than that, honestly that kinda changes things for me.

wesleyb203d ago

But isn't $200 a year with no electric bill pretty good though?

evan_green523d ago

And honestly that tracks with my math skills, which are famously bad (I once calculated a 15% tip as $3 on a $60 meal, don't ask). The thing is, $200 a year adds up over 20 years or whatever the panel lifespan is, but in the moment it feels like pocket change compared to fresh tomatoes in a food desert. I remember sitting there thinking, "Man, even if we split the lot in half, we'd get like 15 solar panels and 25 garden plots, which is still better than arguing for three hours and getting zero of either." The real hard part is getting people to agree on half a loaf when everyone came wanting the whole bakery.