To help you know what to discuss with your solar developer, we’ve provided three questions you should be asking before deciding to lease your land for a solar farm.
The process of developing solar on leased land requires a few steps before a project is operational.
1. We look at the area around your land, as well as such factors as proximity to a three-phase electric line and station, and topography when evaluating it for a lease.
2. Planning the location and clarifying the impacts on property.
3. Permitting and ensuring that the land may be developed on and does not violate any rules or environmental regulations.
4. Building and installing the solar farm, which can take anywhere between three months to one year.
5. Connecting to the grid and generating clean power for the next 25 years.
It takes time to complete the whole process, but your solar developer should be communicating with you throughout the process, updating you if necessary, and assuring that everyone is comfortable and on the same page.
Once the solar farm is operational, it should not interfere with your farming operations. Apart from maintenance visits, your day-to-day living should not be interrupted.
With that being said, during the construction of the solar farm, you may see heavier traffic depending on the location of the solar project. As with any construction, materials will need to be delivered and workers will be onsite to build the project.
Once your solar developer has heard back from the utility company, they should be able to give you a good idea of when that first check is coming. This may also depend on where you live and how many landowners are involved in the project. Some states offer faster payments than others.
If you have land you think would be a good fit for a solar farm and are interested in leasing to ClearPath Energy, head to our Property Owners page.