Leasing a portion of your land for solar ensures the preservation of your land for the next generation. Rather than selling off portions of your land over time, a solar lease provides a steady, meaningful new income stream that allows you to maintain full control of your land for the long-term. Leases typically last 25-30 years, the property will be managed throughout the solar farm’s lifespan and returned to you in its original condition after the lease period.

Aspen Power believes that in order to be a great land lease partner, we must be excellent stewards of the land that we’re leasing. Solar and agriculture are not mutually exclusive – in fact, leasing farm land for solar can benefit agricultural land in many ways.

• Improve soil health and retain water
• Nurture native species like pollinators
• Provide low-cost energy to local community members

Through a practice known as “agrivoltaics,” landowners can actually continue using the land underneath solar panels for agricultural purposes. Sheep and cattle can graze under the panels, which are built higher off the ground than traditional solar panels, and a variety of crops can be grown beneath or between the rows of panels. Research has shown that farming under solar panels can decrease evaporation of water from the soil, potentially reducing irrigation requirements, and can actually improve crop yield and crop resistance in extreme weather, such as droughts. There are over 2.8 GW of agrivoltaic sites in the U.S., the majority of which involve sheep grazing and/or pollinator habitat.

A solar farm creates income by selling the power it produces to a local utility or subscribers who are interested in buying renewable power. Aspen Power handles all aspects of buying and selling the green energy generated from the solar farm. The bi-annual lease payments that landowners receive for leasing a portion of their land are not affected by subscription levels and are structured to increase at a predictable rate over the years. In many cases, the payments to landowners can as much as double what a typical farm receives in income over the course of a year.

Leasing land for a solar farm can be considered a secure investment for landowners. Solar energy is a rapidly growing industry, and the demand for renewable energy sources is increasing along with the state goals for using them. This ensures a stable market for the foreseeable future.

Chances are you’ve heard from other solar developers, and you’re likely wondering, “why Aspen Power?”

In addition to offering highly competitive land lease pricing, Aspen is an all-in-one renewable energy company that knows how to build successful projects and understands the local laws and guardrails for those projects. Aspen has developed, financed, constructed and/or operated more than 600 projects nationwide, helping all types of customers access clean energy and save money on their electricity bills.

We work closely with landowners from the initial lease option through development, construction and throughout the life of the solar facility. As the long-term owners of our systems, Aspen takes the responsibility of being stewards of our leased land very seriously and is committed to being a reliable partner that our leaseholders can trust.

At the end of the lease term, Aspen Power is responsible for decommissioning the solar array and returning the land back to its original state. Decommissioning a solar project involves fully restoring the land so that it can once again be used for agricultural production or another use. This includes de-compacting any compacted soil, supplementing areas as needed with native soils, revegetating the land to help with erosion and dust control or preparing it for agricultural use.

Farmers and landowners are likely interested in learning more about the type of solar panels being installed on their land, fencing setbacks, drainage systems, soil and water conservation, and soil compaction. Questions about how panels are recycled and whether leaching of heavy metals from the panels occur may also be top of mind for individuals looking to protect and preserve their land for future use.

As the owner and operator of the solar panels and long-term partner for the duration of the lease, it is in our best interest to ensure that both the land and the panels are properly taken care of. When planning a solar project, Aspen Power goes the extra mile to protect the land we’re building on by conducting a number of environmental assessments, from wildlife implication studies to wetland analyses, before the project is ever built. Recent studies have revealed that combining solar and agriculture has actually been shown to improve a variety of ecosystem services, including regulating climate and air quality, water retention, improving biodiversity and even water and soil conservation.

It’s important for landowners to trust their partner and inquire about the steps being taken to protect their land early on. At Aspen, we pride ourselves on being good stewards of the land and great partners to our customers. Get in touch with us and ask us your questions about a solar lease for your land.