Learn if your land is suitable for a solar farm and list for lease for free
Interested in leasing your land for a solar farm? Are you curious if your property is suitable for solar panels? If you are already receiving offers, are interested in leasing or selling, or would like to know your property's potential, get a free LandApp property report. If you are interested in receiving lease offers after generating your report, you can list your property for lease for a solar farm for free on LandApp's marketplace with no obligations to accept any offers.
Why List Your Property on LandApp?
List your land for lease or for sale (solar, wind, carbon, water, EV charging, data centers, recreation, agriculture) on LandGate's unique marketplace with just a few clicks for free! Your property is marketed to thousands of prospective lessees & buyers. Our marketplace caters to all types of property, from vacant and commercial properties to agricultural and recreational land. Each listing is enhanced with LandGate's proprietary property data and index scores.
Your contact information will be included on any listings, so interested lessors would contact you directly with offers. You may be presented with top offers to purchase or lease your property, none of which you would be obligated to accept.
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Solar Farm Leasing Process
1.
Determine Solar Property Value
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Landowner gets their free Property Report on LandApp to determine the potential lease value for a solar farm on their land, and any other resource they are interested in
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Landowners can partner with a broker to help build a full land report for their property. LandApp can connect landowners with locally licensed brokers upon request.
2.
List for Lease for Solar Energy For Free
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Landowners or their representatives can publish listings on LandApp’s marketplace, including multiple listings for different resource types.
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LandApp provides solar lease values, encourages detailed descriptions, allows document uploads, and offers expert support for listing creation.
3.
Listing Shared With Solar Developers
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Once a listing is posted, it appears on LandApp’s marketplace, where solar developers can view it and access landowner contact information.
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Solar developers are notified of new listings and may reach out with tentative offers to begin negotiations.
4.
Lease Negotiations With Solar Developer
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Landowner negotiates purchase terms with buyers, with optional support from LandApp or a broker, while bearing responsibility for due diligence and costs
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Landowner is advised to hire an attorney for legal review, with LandApp offering referrals if requested, and then chooses the best offer
5.
Closing
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The landowner or representative must mark LandApp listing as 'Leased'.
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Landowner collects payment from the developer.
6.
Development Phase
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The developer designs the solar farm layout and submits it for regulatory approval.
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Development may stall due to financial or regulatory challenges.
7.
Construction Phase
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Solar panels and supporting infrastructure are installed and connected to electrical infrastructure.
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This phase typically lasts from 2 to 4 months.
8.
Operations Phase
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The solar farm is fully operational and generating electricity.
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The landowner receives payment from the solar developer according to their agreement.
Solar Farm Leasing FAQs
LandApp earns revenues through our subscription-based toolkit, which is engineered for energy developers to plan and manage their projects. Energy companies also use LandGate to view landowner listings and evaluate parcels of interest.
When it comes to solar farm land requirements, location is more important than the amount of land you have. Even if you only have a few acres, you still have a chance to generate income by leasing your land for a solar farm. This is because solar developers also consider proximity to electrical infrastructure (substations and transmission lines) and a few other factors as they evaluate parcels of interest.
To find your land's value for solar leasing, find your parcel on our map and generate your free property report!Solar farm leases typically range from 20 to 40 years total. Once you sign the solar lease agreement, or option to lease, there are generally four phases to a solar farm project:
Development Phase (sometimes referred to as the Option Period) – This could take anywhere from 1 to 5 years. It will include planning, permitting and regulatory matters. There is a possibility that during this phase, the operator may decide not to complete the project due to financial or regulatory restrictions.
Construction Phase – This typically lasts between 2 to 4 months while they install the solar panels and supporting infrastructure.
Operations Phase (sometimes referred to as the Production Phase) – During this phase, the solar panels should actively be producing energy. This phase could last anywhere from 20 to 50 years depending on the lease agreement.
Decommissioning Phase – Unless the solar developer negotiates the right to extend the lease for another lengthy operations phase, the solar panels and supporting structures will be removed and they work with you to restore the property to its original condition pre-lease.
Usually, solar developers will allow landowners to continue farming, running cattle, or carrying out other activities on their land during the option/ development period. If they elect to begin construction, the landowner will be restricted from further activities that would interfere with construction, development, and the operations phases of the solar lease.
Yes, you can still lease your land for a solar farm if the minerals are already leased for an oil and gas drilling operation. The solar company will work with you and the operator of the lease to ensure that there are dedicated locations set aside for future drilling and development operations.
In these cases, there will likely be a negotiation between the solar developer and the oil and gas company. The solar developer will not be able to move forward with the project until they are certain there will be no interference from oil and gas drilling operations since the mineral estate is dominant over the surface estate in most states.
Yes, you can still lease your land for solar energy if someone else owns the minerals. In most states, the mineral estate is dominant over the surface estate. This means that the mineral owner has the right to grant an oil and gas lease to an operator, who then has the right to use as much of the surface as is reasonably necessary to produce oil and gas.
The solar developer will know if the minerals have been leased. If they have been leased, the developer will attempt to coordinate with the oil and gas company to ensure they can install solar panels on your land. If the minerals have not been leased, the solar developer will contact the mineral owner in hopes that a deal can be made before minerals are ever leased.
Yes - LandApp can provide you with a free solar lease estimate when you find your land on our map and generate your free property report. Solar lease payments vary across the country and are affected by various factors. Learn about typical solar lease payments here: https://youtu.be/ta3tyPLKsi8
Many factors affect what you will be paid when you lease land for solar energy, such as the size of your property, distance to electrical infrastructure (nearest transmission lines and substations), topography, state and federal incentives, just to name a few.
Additionally, the size of the project will have an impact. Larger utility scale projects could require 100 acres or more, whereas. Whereas small to medium scale projects could require 2 – 40 acres. Future needs for electricity in your area, ease of access to your property (highways or farm roads), and supply and demand for solar sites in your area are also factored in. If your land has easy access to highways or farm to market roads, your solar lease value could increase.
There are quite a few ways to get paid when you lease your land for solar energy. Across the country, deal terms vary. Generally, for Utility Scale Solar Farms, the developer will pay you $10 - $40 per acre per year for a 2-6 year option to lease. Following the option period, if the developer elects to exercise the option to enter into a formal lease and begin construction, you can be paid between $400 - $2,000 per acre per year for 25 - 30 years depending on what is negotiated in the lease.
The solar lease option is the 2-6 year term at the start of a lease agreement that grants solar developers the exclusive right to enter into a formal lease agreement. During this time, the solar developer evaluates the parcel's suitability for solar leasing and works to obtain the proper permits that would allow them to begin construction. That being said, entering into a solar lease option does not guarantee that the solar developer will move forward with construction.
A fixed annual payment for a solar lease is a pre-negotiated amount of money you will be paid annually to lease your land for solar energy. The number of years is also pre-negotiated and usually 25-30 years, with an option to extend the lease for another 5 years.
A fixed annual payment for a solar lease is a pre-negotiated amount of money you will be paid annually to lease your land for solar energy. The number of years is also pre-negotiated and usually 25-30 years, with an option to extend the lease for another 5 years.
You will be responsible for property taxes on the portion of your property that is not developed for a solar farm. The solar farm lease agreement generally provides that the developer will be responsible for the taxes assessed on the developed lands. However, every lease agreement is negotiable.
Yes, landowners receiving payments from solar farm developers can market and sell those future payments as a lump sum up front. Selling future solar lease payments is generally in the best interest of the landowner since those payments technically decrease in value over time as a result of inflation, and the lease payments are never guaranteed (the developer of the lease can stop operating the solar facility at any time).
During the lengthy leasing period, it is possible that the lease may change hands at some point, or that the developer goes bankrupt. If the solar developer goes bankrupt, the solar farm may be sold to another developer, who would take over the lease and continue operating the project as planned. This means that there is a potential for gaps in the lease payments, but the developer who purchases the solar farm would be responsible for any back payments.
There is a level of risk associated with leasing your land for solar energy (and many benefits!), so it’s important to have potential lease agreements reviewed by a licensed attorney.
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"I listed my property on LandGate and very quickly received 12 competitive offers to lease my property for a solar project from reputable companies. After some due diligence and discussions, I was able to execute a solar lease... thanks to all the folks at LandGate!"
Joette Schalla
Landowner & Agent, Fay Ranches
"Our son Brad Belser was able to list one of our Fulton County, IL properties on the LandGate platform. We very quickly received interest in the property for a solar project from a reputable company. Without LandGate this process would not have been so easy!"
Steve & Kim Belser
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