Solar panels, carbon storage and alternative fuel sources are all key elements of the U.S. transition to cleaner forms of energy, reducing the country's reliance on climate change-causing fossil fuels. But space for them seems to come at a premium.

Transforming productive farmland for renewable energy projects has caused tension in some communities, as has pursuing such projects on lands valued for their natural resources.

Now, research out of UW-Madison offers a potential middle ground.

A team of scientists from the UW-led Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center mapped millions of acres of abandoned farmland across the U.S. over several decades in a study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Knowing where this abandoned land is could help people evaluate it for different uses, including climate solutions, the team theorized.