Land Lease FAQs


Crystal Spring Solar Farm In ProgressReVision Energy's Community Solar Farm team has compiled answers to the common questions received about our land lease program, and the process of hosting a solar farm on your property.

If you have additional questions or are interested in exploring land hosting options, please reach out to our team using the form on our Land Hosting page.

What kind of land is needed for hosting a solar farm? 

For hosting a solar farm, we need a minimum footprint of 3 contiguous acres. We currently work with solar farms footprints up to 35 acres in size.  

There are a few considerations to assess upfront:

  • With any parcel of land, there will be property line setbacks and potential tree shading to consider. Setbacks are established locally; you can investigate your town’s setback ordinances if you are curious.  
  • It’s important to understand your own goals and long-term plans. Are there specific areas you want to devote to solar?  To utilize for other uses? These considerations will impact spacing available for a solar farm.   
  • There will also be environmental permitting considerations. If there are potential wetlands, known wetlands, or waterways there may be setbacks from those. We assess this at a high-level during the consultation process to understand available space. During the Development process we work with professional engineers for permitting through local, state, and federal agencies.   
 
 

Additional Land Leasing Questions:

What does the process and timing look like for developing a solar farm?

For the first 3-6 months, our development team focuses on surveying and collecting data from state agencies and environmental professionals. At the same time, we initiate the interconnection process to ensure the project can be connected to the grid. The utility interconnection is a long process that can take anywhere from 12 to 48 months, depending on the complexity of the solar project.

This timeline is beyond our control, but we do our best to estimate anticipated timelines so you can consider whether this works for your future land plans. If accepted, this process results in an interconnection agreement for our project. Depending on the project size and location, we may need to get additional approval from a town or city planning board. 

Project Permitting 

Once we have project plans, we can initiate the permitting process, which can take several months. This means working through the town’s application process, which sometimes requires our team to present at a public hearing. We also apply for permits required by certain state or federal groups, which can include: 

  • The state’s environmental bodies 
  • The state transportation bodies 
  • The US Army Corps of Engineers 
  • The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) 

Once the project is approved by everyone, ReVision and the landowner can enter into a long-term lease agreement and our operations team can begin construction. 

What type of power lines are needed to support my potential solar farm project?

Three-phase power lines are needed to support a solar farm project. Ideally, they are located along the road at the parcel of land where the solar farm would be, or within a short distance away. 

It can be hard to tell the difference between the many different types of power lines out there. If the power line is located along a roadway, it is likely a three-phase Distribution line. If it is instead located in a field or large corridor with other power lines, there’s a high likelihood that it’s a Transmission Line or another type of power line that will not work for a solar farm. 

How does a local substation impact my ability to host a solar farm on my land?

One of the first items that we review is the local substation’s size and capacity to see if there’s potential for a solar farm project. The capacity on a substation is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Solar farms utilize three-phase power and connect locally through a substation. Substations vary in size and capacity.

The power generation from a solar farm cannot exceed the space available and total size of a substation, or expensive upgrades to the substation will be needed and may result in the project not being financially viable. Checking the substation capacity is an important step in deciding if a project is feasible and establishing an accurate development timeline.  

Can I have a mortgage on my land and still host a solar farm?

Typically, yes. We can work with you and your mortgage holder to obtain a mortgage subordination. We have found this to be easier if the mortgage is locally held.

What kind of access is necessary to host a solar farm?

Ideally, we will have easy access from the roadway where there are existing powerlines. If roadway access is less straightforward, we will need to further review the circumstances. Large trucks containing racking, solar panels, and other heavy equipment will need to get in and out of the location easily.  While driveways can be created and improved upon, having access and space available is essential. Extensive construction to access your property may result in unaffordable costs or risks for solar farm projects. 

We also look for any environmental factors that would need additional construction considerations, like a bridge over a waterway.