In the three-county region, there are already several community scale solar (CSS) farms in operation, which produce and sell energy either under wholesale contracts with a utility or at retail rates to subscribers. Several more projects are in the planning stages, and the community solar market sector is expected to continue to grow.
Developing community scale solar is a complicated business endeavor. Most landowners lease their land to a solar developer who is responsible for the development of the project. Solar developers will often proactively contact a landowner if their property is a good candidate for development. Alternatively, if a landowner would like to find out if their land is suitable they can contact a solar developer to do an initial assessment of the property.
If the property is deemed to be a good site for solar, the developer will offer to lease the property for a specified amount of money and length of time. Before entering into an agreement a landowner should consider seeking legal and tax guidance. In addition, there are ways to develop a property that are lower impact and more environmentally friendly that a landowner may want to investigate.
Below is additional information and resources to provide an initial foundation for leasing private land for solar development.
Note: some of the resources listed are provided by private firms. We have vetted these resources for accuracy, but their inclusion does not represent an endorsement of services.