US Solar Energy Industries Association Releases New Land Leasing Guide
The US Solar Energy Industries Association has published a new guide for landowners interested in leasing their land for use by solar developers.
The SEIA Guide to Land Leases for Solar is a comprehensive guide that “covers the important aspects of how to work with a solar developer, from initial site visit to lease finalization.”
“The solar industry is committed to full understanding of solar by consumers, including farmers and other landowners,” said Tom Kimbis, SEIA’s interim president. “This new guide brings transparency to landowners to help them navigate agreements with a sense of ease, knowing they’re asking the right questions and armed with all the information they need to make a smart decision.”
“Large scale solar projects, such as community solar and investor-owned solar systems on farms, have expanded rapidly throughout the US,” the authors of the guidelines noted in its introduction, a fact borne out by recent solar installation figures for the United States. At the beginning of 2016, experts predicted that the US solar industry was expected to increase by 60% by the end of the year. IHS predicted that the US would install 15 GW of new solar in 2016, thanks in part to a strong desire for utility-scale solar and the extension of the Investment Tax Credit.
In June, GTM Research published numbers that showed new US solar PV installations accounted for 64% of all new electric generating capacity installed across the country in the first quarter. The analysts from GTM Research also confirmed that the US solar industry is likely to install close to 15 GW of new solar during the year.
“Solar power, including solar land leasing, presents a huge opportunity for farmers, but they need to be well-informed and advised so they can negotiate fair terms,” said Suzanne Hunt of New York’s Hunt Country Vineyards and Hunt Green LLC. “This new guidance document from SEIA will help farmers and other landowners make informed decisions so that solar land leasing will work for them and their families now and for many years to come.”
“We have been growing corn and soybeans on our farm for decades, and only recently considered switching to solar,” added Stephanie Walton of Shelbyville, Kentucky. “Solar is new to our area, and we didn’t know which questions to ask solar developers. This guide is exactly what we need as farmers to make the right choices to maximize income with available land.”
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