This study examines the realities of grid-scale solar development on farmland in Pennsylvania, focusing on the motivations of farmers and the socioecological implications of solar leasing. While solar energy is a key component of global energy transitions, the socioecological impacts of transforming farmland for solar photovoltaics (PV) have not been thoroughly researched. The study explores why farmers lease their land for solar and how these leasing processes balance farmer, stakeholder, and community costs and benefits. Farmers enter solar leases for multiple reasons, with economic gain being a central but insufficient factor. Farmers negotiate lease terms to ensure end-of-life decommissioning, hinging on the hope that the land will be farmable again after solar panels are removed. However, solar was described as a "thirty-year cover crop," and agrivoltaics was not observed, obscuring the potential for agricultural production to continue during the solar lease. Solar developers have utilized option contracts and non-disclosure agreements, reducing the ability of landowners to collectively negotiate for more favorable terms. These findings are situated in the fraught legacies of energy production in Pennsylvania and three main tenets of energy justice: distributive, recognition, and procedural justice. The study highlights the caution and hope associated with solar rollouts contributing to just and sustainable energy transitions. Farmers and solar stakeholders were interviewed to understand the decision-making processes and legalities underlying solar transitions. The study found that farmers enter solar leases for economic reasons, but also for the hope of being able to farm the land again after decommissioning. Farmers negotiate lease terms to ensure decommissioning and return of the land to its original state. The study also found that community opposition to solar projects is common, with concerns related to aesthetic value, loss of productive farmland, and ecological implications. The study highlights the importance of energy justice in ensuring that solar development is equitable and sustainable. The findings suggest that solar development on farmland can contribute to just energy transitions if it is managed in a way that considers the needs and preferences of local communities. The study also highlights the need for more research on the socioecological implications of solar development on farmland.This study examines the realities of grid-scale solar development on farmland in Pennsylvania, focusing on the motivations of farmers and the socioecological implications of solar leasing. While solar energy is a key component of global energy transitions, the socioecological impacts of transforming farmland for solar photovoltaics (PV) have not been thoroughly researched. The study explores why farmers lease their land for solar and how these leasing processes balance farmer, stakeholder, and community costs and benefits. Farmers enter solar leases for multiple reasons, with economic gain being a central but insufficient factor. Farmers negotiate lease terms to ensure end-of-life decommissioning, hinging on the hope that the land will be farmable again after solar panels are removed. However, solar was described as a "thirty-year cover crop," and agrivoltaics was not observed, obscuring the potential for agricultural production to continue during the solar lease. Solar developers have utilized option contracts and non-disclosure agreements, reducing the ability of landowners to collectively negotiate for more favorable terms. These findings are situated in the fraught legacies of energy production in Pennsylvania and three main tenets of energy justice: distributive, recognition, and procedural justice. The study highlights the caution and hope associated with solar rollouts contributing to just and sustainable energy transitions. Farmers and solar stakeholders were interviewed to understand the decision-making processes and legalities underlying solar transitions. The study found that farmers enter solar leases for economic reasons, but also for the hope of being able to farm the land again after decommissioning. Farmers negotiate lease terms to ensure decommissioning and return of the land to its original state. The study also found that community opposition to solar projects is common, with concerns related to aesthetic value, loss of productive farmland, and ecological implications. The study highlights the importance of energy justice in ensuring that solar development is equitable and sustainable. The findings suggest that solar development on farmland can contribute to just energy transitions if it is managed in a way that considers the needs and preferences of local communities. The study also highlights the need for more research on the socioecological implications of solar development on farmland.