ReVision 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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.