I made this 10-minute documentary, SUNBLOCK, because I love farmers and ranchers and want to tell their stories. This film is available for free here on Substack and YouTube.
I made this film with my own money on a tiny budget with basic equipment (hand-held DSLRs and a small audio recorder) so I could produce it quickly and shine a spotlight on the global battle to save prime farmland from the encroachment of giant solar projects. Of course, the widespread destruction of farmland doesn’t fit the narrative that’s relentlessly promoted by climate activists, legacy media outlets, and big NGOs like the Sierra Club, NRDC, and Environmental Defense Fund. And of course, the New York Times and NPR are parroting the same pro-solar narrative.
But the facts are clear: solar energy is expanding rapidly; that expansion is gobbling up massive amounts of land; and all over the world, farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners are fighting to protect their property and livelihoods from Big Solar.
In the Renewable Rejection Database, I’ve documented 48 rejections or restrictions of solar energy in the US this year alone, and a total of 359 since 2015. The surging backlash against solar is particularly obvious in the British Isles, where there have been more than two dozen rejections of Big Solar since January 1. (I’ll be publishing more on the rejections in England, Ireland, and Scotland.)
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Robert Bryce is a Texas-based journalist and film producer. Over the past three decades, his articles have appeared in numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, National Review and Field & Stream. Bryce has given over 300 speeches to dozens of groups, including the Marine Corps War College, Sydney Institute, Jadavpur University, Northwestern University, and a wide variety of professional associations and corporations. He has also appeared on dozens of TV and radio shows, including on NPR, BBC, MSNBC, Fox, Al Jazeera, CNN, and PBS. Find him on X @pwrhungry
