Solar Farms

[cowgirl8]

Anyone here have one on their place. Looks like our area is going to be covered, maybe the largest in the world eventually. We'll go from being the poorest county to much better. I wonder what it will do to land prices, not near the farms, but around. So glad that we are insulated by having to walk out our door and see it. We'll have to drive to town to see them.

 

[cowgirl8]

I hear though they make the best neighbors, you never hear a peep out of them...

 

[TexasBred]

I hear though they make the best neighbors, you never hear a peep out of them...

Miles of mirrors. I can do without it. Seems it would really have a negative effect on land values other than the land purchased for the solar farm.

 

[Stocker Steve]

We are a solar farm, but we grow grass. I thought wind would be a better renewable source in most of the US, even though they shut down the turbines below -20. It was a common problem this winter.

 

[ga.prime]

$1200/acre/year on a 40 year lease. How can you refuse?

 

[greybeard]

:hide:

 

[cowgirl8]

I hear though they make the best neighbors, you never hear a peep out of them...

Miles of mirrors. I can do without it. Seems it would really have a negative effect on land values other than the land purchased for the solar farm.

Makes me very happy that we have a mile buffer in any direction and hilly land past. The stuff they plan to do is near the chicken factory. That thing is huge and i'm guessing it will expand to double what they are at the moment. There are 7 houses right now with chick houses behind. I think their plan in 10 years was to have 14 houses. I almost never go to town in that direction so, doesn't effect me and if it keeps people from moving here, even better...I love what it will do for our schools. Sucks being a poor county. At one point in history, a county next to us had oil and that town flourished. It has since died, but there are signs left that at one time it was a bustling town.. If it makes our land values go down, fine with me, lower taxes and we never plan to sell.. and we might even be able to buy some more land.

 

[cowgirl8]

$1200/acre/year on a 40 year lease. How can you refuse?

I don't think most leases go for that much. But how awesome would that be..

 

[Brute 23]

$1200/acre/year on a 40 year lease. How can you refuse?

I don't think most leases go for that much. But how awesome would that be..

Some one told me the numbers on the solar farm leases and it was high enough that I thought the same thing.

Same with wind turbines.

The wind turbines have totally ruined the landscape of the Texas Gulf Coast.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

A guy up the road gets $3300/month for a cell tower.

 

[cowgirl8]

A guy up the road gets $3300/month for a cell tower.

I know a few with towers and they dont get that much, more like 800 monthly.. We can only see one tower about 5 miles away in the winter when the trees have no leaves from our place... I hope it stays that way. I don't want to see those either....
We arent an area for wind turbines. We dont see them unless we travel west. I find them mesmerizing.. and my OCD tries to synchronize them. But, if i had land next to them and wasnt giving the option to put them on my land and the my neighbor was raking in the dough, i'd be a little mad...lol

 

[greybeard]

$1200/acre/year on a 40 year lease. How can you refuse?

I don't think most leases go for that much. But how awesome would that be..

It all depends where one lives, and how much open land is available as competition.
Scroll down to "How Much Money Can A Solar Farm Make?"
https://www.landmarkdividend.com/solar-farm-land-lease-rates/


https://strategicsolargroup.com/what-is-the-average-solar-farm-lease-rate/
"Now that you know more than you ever wanted about the solar land market in the United States, let's talk rates per acre. A 10 acre site next to a substation outside of an urban area with high land prices might be justified in asking $2,000 per acre. Even in rural areas of North Carolina or California where demand for small solar sites is high, rent over $1,000/acre would be common by a substation with capacity. Larger tracts over 100 acres for major power plant projects commonly rent at $300 to $500 an acre across Texas and normally around the $500/acre range across most of the Southeast. Large tracts can sometimes fetch upwards of $800/acre in Illinois, Virginia and the Carolinas depending on numerous factors. High priced, large tracts in California's Central Valley might go for $1,000 per acre.

Before you use this information to start negotiating against a solar development company, I will leave you with a bit of controversial advice. The best deal is one that's fair for you as the landowner and the developer, not one that puts either party at a disadvantage. Your instinct might be to get every last penny possible from the developer, but I have seen this backfire more times than it works. In a large project where acreage is assembled from numerous landowners, the family that has the highest rent on paper is often the one who ends up with nothing as the developer constructs on everyone else's property. Even in projects where your property may be the only land leased, electricity is a commodity and the developer's customers will buy the cheapest energy from among the reputable companies. If you have a contract that entitles you to above market rental rates, this decreases the chance the developer can sell the power and, thus, lowers the probability that you end up with a solar farm."

I wonder how a solar farm affects property taxes? I have to assume the landowner would lose his ag exemption for sure, tho the proceeds from the lease would surely make up for it.

 

[cowgirl8]

I think a lot of people are putting sheep to graze the land around the solar panels to keep their ag exemptions

 

[greybeard]

I think a lot of people are putting sheep to graze the land around the solar panels to keep their ag exemptions

The solar farm I toured in West Texas didn't leave enough open ground to support much of any kind of livestock and no grass grew under the panels because........no sunlight.

Solar leases will likely prevent any other use of the property.

All of us in Texas have likely driven by a piece of property and seen a tractor farming around oil pump jacks or cattle grazing beneath wind turbines. Because of how oil, gas, and wind production occurs, it is quite possible for the surface owner to make agricultural uses of the property even during the time while the oil, gas or wind lease exists. The same is often not true for solar leases. Often, a solar farm requires numerous continuously placed panels that would prevent other uses to be made of the surface of the land. Based on this, landowners evaluating solar leases should usually assume the lease payment will be the only income for the property and negotiate accordingly.

A solar project could impact special tax use valuation eligibility.

In Texas, many rural landowners take advantage of the special tax valuation available for agriculture or open space land. If a landowner meets the criteria, the special use valuation allows the property taxes to be calculated based on a percentage of its productive capacity versus the fair market value of the land, which is usually much greater. A solar project could impact the ability for property to qualify for this special use valuation. If that is the case, a host of issues arise, including a rollback period where the landowner may owe the difference between the normal tax value and the modified value paid. Importantly, even after the solar project has left the land, it could be years before the property can quality for ag or open space valuation again. Landowners should visit with their local appraisal district to determine how solar projects are treated with regard to special use valuation. It is important that landowners include a term in the solar lease agreement whereby the solar company covers any additional real property taxes owed as a result of the solar project and that the solar company pays for any personal property taxes on the solar equipment.

 

[cowgirl8]

Do you have any personal experience in it other than a google?

 

[TexasBred]

If they leased my property for "x" $$ a month per acre I'd expect that regardless of whether they put a farm on the land or did anything else with it. No different than oil and gas I'd think. If I'm in the pool I get paid based on the lease terms.

 

[cowgirl8]

Sure hope they come knocking on our door....

 

[greybeard]

Do you have any personal experience in it other than a google?

The solar farm I toured in West Texas didn't leave enough open ground to support much of any kind of livestock and no grass grew under the panels because........no sunlight.

I've been on several solar farms and wind farms as well, but have not personally leased any land for solar use.
The most recent visit was the Orange Grove farm near Corpus Christi in 2018.
The first one I ever went on and was up close to was in either 1995 or '96..a small solar farm that Univ of Texas built at Fort Davis.

 

[cowgirl8]

Do you have any personal experience in it other than a google?

The solar farm I toured in West Texas didn't leave enough open ground to support much of any kind of livestock and no grass grew under the panels because........no sunlight.

I've been on several solar farms and wind farms as well, but have not personally leased any land for solar use.
The most recent visit was the Orange Grove farm near Corpus Christi in 2018.
The first one I ever went on and was up close to was in either 1995 or '96..a small solar farm that Univ of Texas built at Fort Davis.

More and more are using sheep. I think there are some overseas that graze cattle. The ground isn't completely covered.

 

[greybeard]

If they leased my property for "x" $$ a month per acre I'd expect that regardless of whether they put a farm on the land or did anything else with it. No different than oil and gas I'd think. If I'm in the pool I get paid based on the lease terms.

Not sure about solar rights but I have seen tell of landowners out in Nolan County reserving their wind rights for turbines.
(Those things are noisy as he// if you get within 200 yards of them. A slow but constant "whoosh! whoosh! whoosh whoosh!!" every time a blade makes it's lower 180 degree pass. Farther away, you don't hear the individual blades but just a dull "HUUUUMMMM" sound that never stops)
I took this picture in Nolan County about 8 years ago from the side of the road not far from the wind farm's visitor center. As soon as I stepped out of the truck, I heard the "HUUUMMMMM".