If you have land you are not using and want to make money off of it, then you should consider setting up a solar farm. With a solar farm you will be able to make a substantial income. Before you think about setting up a solar farm on your land you may wonder “how many acres is a solar farm?” You may also wonder if your land qualifies for solar leasing? These are valid questions that will help you determine if your land will be of interest to energy investors. To start with the journey, you should have all the information you need about solar farm land requirements.
What Is A Solar Farm?
Solar farms are pieces of land leased by landowners to solar developers. These lands are turned into farms to generate solar power, mostly as an initiative to support clean energy usage. It is a large solar field of several acres, depending on how much land you have. This land is covered with several rows of solar panels so that unused land can come in handy and assist governments in their clean energy initiatives.
You do not need land that is completely away from all life forms. You can even set up a solar farm on lands that are close to livestock or crops. This is because the crops and livestock do not pose any danger to the solar panels and vice versa.
How Can a Solar Farm Benefit You?
There are many benefits when it comes to leasing your land to a renewable energy company.
The first thing you must remember is that a solar farm will give you a stable income. You will be able to make money in the long term. You can connect with a competitive company, and they will offer you great rates so that you can get as much money as possible. If your land is just sitting there and it fits all the requirements, then you should definitely look into leasing it for a solar farm. On average, you will be able to lease your land for a total of 20 to 25 years.
One of the main benefits is that your land will be a lot more fertile and the use of solar panels will rejuvenate it. Even if the lease ends, you will be able to grow crops and get the most out of the land.
Lastly, you will be doing the world a favor by playing your part in bringing clean energy to the people around you. This can be your effort to help sustain the environment and reduce the usage of harmful energy sources.
What Are The Requirements For A Good Solar Farm?
If you are considering leasing your land for a solar farm, you must make sure that your land is qualified for a good solar farm and satisfies the following requirements.
Land Requirements
There are no particular requirements when it comes to how much land you need for your solar farm. The land should be enough to grab the attention of solar developers. Thirty acres is a good number to start with. However, there are no strict requirements where you can’t list land that is less than 30 acres. The only problem is that it may have fewer chances when you lease land for a solar farm.
The solar farm lease rates per acre depending on 1MW for 2 acres of solar panels. This means that solar farms are more in capacity, so you need to make sure you have enough acreage. When setting up a solar farm, not all of your land will be used for solar panels. Some of it will also be used for all the other solar equipment. The amount of money you make will directly depend on how much land you have. Therefore, the more land, the better.
Sunlight Amounts
Many landowners believe that the amount of sunlight their land receives must be a major requirement, but this is not the case. Other more important factors contribute to the requirements of a good solar farm. However, it is important for the land to receive adequate amounts of light. Things such as trees and buildings should not be blocking sunlight from reaching the panel.
Incentives of Solar Power
Governments are taking a keen interest in incentivization and looking for large lands to set up solar energy farms. If there are other solar farms around you, then that means that your land is of great value. This means that if you set out to lease your land for solar panels, then you may get greater returns.
You can look for incentives such as Renewable Energy Certificates, Sales and Use Tax, State Sales Tax Exempt, State Median Property Tax, and more. There is a lot of incentivization in California which makes the land a better choice for energy investors.
Location
There are lots of things to consider when deciding on land for a solar farm. This includes its exact location. A good solar farm should be in close proximity to things such as the distribution line, transmission line, and substation.
You may think that even if your land is far, it can easily be connected with these lines using interconnections. But many people fail to understand that if your land is far from the grid, it will significantly increase the cost of interconnection. If the costs are too high, the developer will lose interest and will start looking for land elsewhere.
On the other hand, if your land is closer to the grid, then the developer will be able to save significant amounts of money in the interconnections and can give you the same money in the form of a higher lease rate per acre. Moreover, if the energy drawn from the good matches the capacity, then the developer is more likely to give you a higher rate. If these conditions are met accurately, then you can get a great deal for the lease of your land.
Exclusion Zones
If you have a large piece of land, do not automatically assume that it is a good option for a solar farm. Certain pieces of land are completely excluded, and you cannot build a solar farm on them. These exclusion zones include:
- Dwellings
- Flood Zones
- Grassland
- Hazardous Sites
- National Park
- NFS Land Units
- State Park
- Topography
- Waterways
- Wilderness
If you have any of these zones on your land, then that part of the land will be deemed unusable. The rest of the buildable acreage can be used to set up a solar farm. It is a good idea to connect with an expert who can help you spot all these zones on your acreage and how much land is suitable for a solar farm. If you have lots of plants and other structures on your land, then it is better to first clear them off, so that you can get value for your land. Moreover, if your land is closer to the main road, you will be offered a better deal as the workers can get their machines in and out of the worksite easily.
Commercial Solar Services from Coldwell Solar
If you are looking for ways to make a passive income, then leasing your land for a solar farm is a great choice. There are many benefits to leasing land, but you must be aware of all the requirements and the benefits to make the decision. In this case, it is a good idea to connect with an expert company, like Coldwell Solar, so they can provide you with all the information you need.
Reach out today, and the representatives on our team will advise you and answer any questions you may have. We additionally help construct solar farms and are happy to partner with you in your next project.
