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Ed&Sherry 
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Joined: 08 May 2010
Location: Owego, NY
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 Topic: Updated solar farms ???
Posted: 25 Jan 2020 at 1:23pm |
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don't know if im in the right area but,,have a company that want to look at building a solar farm on my land , they are talking 100 plus acres,,anyone know anything about this,,pros and cons ,,$$ per ac, or unit,,anything ? thanks Ed
Edited by Ed&Sherry - 28 Jan 2020 at 9:13am
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DMiller
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Hermann, Mo
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Posted: 25 Jan 2020 at 3:13pm |
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First I would ask, where have they put these up before, and then Phone number/address to those owners.
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steve(ill)
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Location: illinois
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Posted: 25 Jan 2020 at 9:22pm |
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Typical is to build them, give you a few bucks... run for 10-15 years until they are worthless, then they skip town and your STUCK with the old worn out crap... Get it in writing that they BUILD THE ROADS, MAINTAIN, and CLEANUP when over.
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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jaybmiller
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Greensville,Ont
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Posted: 26 Jan 2020 at 5:42am |
all of the above PLUS 1) be sure YOU have 100% 24/7 access to YOUR land !! I've heared where the roads and land near towers is THEIRS, no farmer rights to it ! Probably like land lease gas well/mineral companies.
2) have an 'escrow account' with $$$ in it for maintenance AND disposal AND reclamation. this way when the 'solar company' goes bust or walks away YOU use the escrow account $$ to return YOUR land back the way it was
if 'they' say no to #2, tell them to take a hike !
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Kansas99
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Location: W Kansas
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Posted: 26 Jan 2020 at 10:38am |
All good points here.
I might add that if it's anything like a wind farm lease, unless your an attorney I would highly recommend spending the money to take anything you sign to one. Tell them what you want and don't want and let them decipher what the contract says. I went through this with a wind farm lease and my eyes were opened when I had a attorney look at it. The lease hounds that work for these companies will say whatever you want to hear. Needless to say I have no wind turbines.
By chance this isn't that outfit that sends the flyer out in the mail? I can't recall their name but I've received a couple, but never called them.
I just looked at your location Ed probably not the outfit sending flyers out here in KS. 
Edited by Kansas99 - 26 Jan 2020 at 10:51am
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Kansas99
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Posted: 26 Jan 2020 at 10:49am |
"2) have an 'escrow account' with $$$ in it for maintenance AND
disposal AND reclamation. this way when the 'solar company' goes bust or
walks away YOU use the escrow account $$ to return YOUR land back the
way it was"
Jay I agree with this 100%. The part that I'm leery of is what happens as these companies change hand. The local county wind farm company acquired all the leases for the land with this escrow but then before the farm was built the company had been sold 2 times and now that it is built it has been sold 2 more times, all of this in around 5-6 years. My neighbor has some of these turbines on his land and at this point he is starting to have concerns about the clean up down the road.
Edited by Kansas99 - 26 Jan 2020 at 10:49am
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TimNearFortWorth
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Joined: 12 Dec 2009
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Posted: 26 Jan 2020 at 11:51am |
They have the details if done before, just won't be up front about it so they can get away with more. My brother played hell with a wind turbine outfit and would not sign-on until they met his demands in writing. Worked down the list while they sent someone new out each time including a very attractive young lady in a tight dress. He got a kick out of that one and still did not sign off as he watched all the towers installed on the rest of the line and the substation being finished as he knew they needed the three on his dairy which was close to the end of the line. Biggest issues were the road base to be installed and drainage that did not hinder his then current operations, and the big one, how deep the high voltage lines would be buried in his fields. When the "big cheese" finally showed up, said he tossed him a tape measure while they were in the pole barn as the big 4WD was sitting there with the deep shank chisel plow attached. Showed him how deep they ran and that was changed on the list as they agreed to go deeper with the lines. Access roadswere next and he eventually got them to completely remove two hedgerows full of trees and field stones so they could put their roads there. Whatever you do, DO NOT take the free electricity option in lieu of the partial yearly payments. I guided my brother on structuring his lease like a oil/gas well lease, my business for nearly 30 years at the time. He is east of you and keeps the mill leases even after selling the farm which will likely be in the next 3-5 years as dairy stopped last year, now runs beef. He stipulated "return to condition as found" even though he knew he would be long gone before the giants come down as he wanted to take care of the next guy. Get a good lawyer!
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jaybmiller
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Location: Greensville,Ont
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Posted: 26 Jan 2020 at 2:03pm |
re: ...He stipulated "return to condition as found"
Take 'as found' pictures, put into contract, so 'they' KNOW what land was like and HOW it's supposed to look like when they leave.
Have contracted worded that YOU have to sign off on ANY reselling of the lease, that way escrow account can't magically disappear and some 3rd person now owns the leases....
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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PaulB
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Location: Rocky Ridge Md
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Posted: 27 Jan 2020 at 3:04pm |
There's someplace in N.C that has banned solar farm on the premise that "they will suck up all of the sunlight"  . There was an article in our local paper last fall about it. I'd thought it was a joke. however the local municipality did actually ban them.
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 27 Jan 2020 at 6:21pm |
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NOW THATS FUNNY !!
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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Gordy
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Location: SWMI
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Posted: 27 Jan 2020 at 10:22pm |
Township next to me farmers have been fighting this for a couple years but it looks like it's going to happen. Hate to see this on good prairie farmland when there is plenty of marginal or contaminated land like half the city of Detroit.
Updated Nov 6, 2019 at 4:13 PM
A difference of 12 votes Tuesday verifies Mendon Township
residents remain divided over an ordinance regarding the development of
solar panels. Unofficial results show the ordinance, approved
earlier this year by the township board, was supported by its voters,
331 to 319. As a result, the ordinance will remain in place as written. Consequently,
it is likely Minnesota-based Geronimo Energy will begin the process
necessary to develop its solar panel project on a 200-acre property on
Prairie Corners Road at Bucknell Road. Township supervisor Mike Kline said it was no surprise the unofficial vote was so close. “It’s
been a divided township, so, no, I can’t say I’m surprised by how close
this was,” he said. “So, next steps are coming; the ball is entirely in
Geronimo’s court now.” Kline said he is encouraged to see a relatively large voter turnout. Tuesday’s
vote was the result of a resident-led petition to allow Mendon Township
voters the option of siding with the township board’s decision or
opposing its ordinance to allow solar-panel development. The
ordinance took about two years to create, requiring input from the
township’s planning commission before some revisions and ultimately its
approval by the township board April 2. Opponents have said their is what they consider a weak ordinance that does little to protect Mendon Township.
Kayleen Grand, who has represented the group opposed to the
ordinance, said she and like-minded residents opposed to the development
did everything they could to have a say. “I think the tight vote
represents that the community still doesn’t understand what this
proposal is going to mean,” she said. “It’s so close and that means that
there really, truly was a pretty significant opposition. Grand
said the 319 votes against the ordinance means there are more opponents
than the two-dozen or so people who faithfully attended the township’s
planning commission and its board meetings as the issue was being
evaluated. A Mendon-area native, Grand said despite the
election-day setback, she is proud of the work opponents put into
educating the public and their commitment to following the governmental
process that led to the township board’s April vote. “Nothing to
be ashamed of, really, but 12 votes — that’s really hard to accept.
Twelve votes is just so close,” she said. “It does show that our
community is divided and I think the township should look at that ...
and we need to look at how we can still keep up the voices of 50 percent
of the community.” Geronimo’s White Pine solar development in Mendon Township would be the first solar-panel operation in St. Joseph County. Geronimo plans to create a 20-megawatt project on the property it purchased in 2017 from farmer Lyle Schmidt. Based
on the company’s analysis of the Mendon Township site, it will require a
capital investment of $29 million and reduce an estimated 24,000 metric
tons of carbon dioxide annually.
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Ed&Sherry
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Joined: 08 May 2010
Location: Owego, NY
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Posted: 28 Jan 2020 at 9:12am |
solar rep was here,,,wants 80 ac ,,will pay $1000 for the first 12 months,,$11000 the second 12 months,,than $1000 per ac after it producing electric. They did not leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling 
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Kansas99
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Location: W Kansas
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Posted: 28 Jan 2020 at 8:40pm |
Might be worth looking into, doesn't hurt to look.
$1000 acre every year I take it? Sounds a little high to be true but I can only compare it to land with wind turbines. I'm not sure the life cycle of solar panels but at some point wouldn't it be cheaper for them to just buy the ground for them. If they use the farm 20 years that $20,000 an acre they could buy an unlimited amount of ground in a lot of places for that.
On turbines they pay a set fee on the turbine then add a percentage by the amount of electricity they produce but the ground is still usable just cut up by roads. Around Dodge City the ground is flat as it gets so turbines are as close as they can be and seems to me there's maybe 4-6 on a quarter and they pay ~$7-9 k total per turbine a year and that's in the windiest town in North America.
I'd also make sure that your not going to be the land that the wires only cross. Then you get your up front money and have to put up with wires and little to no money while the farm setting beside you gets the producing electricity. I've been their, I'm the only guy in a 5 mile radius that doesn't have land leased to a wind farm( that's yet to be built) because my ground is low and springy and I know power lines is all I'd end up with. When I asked about turbines or wires they claimed they didn't know where the turbines were going ( ya right on top of the hill da) so I told them call if they figure it out. They called multiple times but same story , I said no dice, cause I know they only need it for power lines. The lease hound wasn't happen when he realized I wasn't leasing.
Did they give you a contract to look at?
Would they give you a person that they have a farm on to visit with?
Over head or buried lines? In the event they would have (ex. 40 acres of panel and power lines on the other land.)
Just thinking out loud here if you weren't comfortable with the people then forget it, money isn't everything.
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Dusty MI
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Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Location: Charlotte, Mi
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Posted: 28 Jan 2020 at 10:40pm |
 Gordy wrote:
Township next to me farmers have been fighting this for a couple years but it looks like it's going to happen. Hate to see this on good prairie farmland when there is plenty of marginal or contaminated land like half the city of Detroit.
Updated Nov 6, 2019 at 4:13 PM
A difference of 12 votes Tuesday verifies Mendon Township
residents remain divided over an ordinance regarding the development of
solar panels. Unofficial results show the ordinance, approved
earlier this year by the township board, was supported by its voters,
331 to 319. As a result, the ordinance will remain in place as written. Consequently,
it is likely Minnesota-based Geronimo Energy will begin the process
necessary to develop its solar panel project on a 200-acre property on
Prairie Corners Road at Bucknell Road. Township supervisor Mike Kline said it was no surprise the unofficial vote was so close. “It’s
been a divided township, so, no, I can’t say I’m surprised by how close
this was,” he said. “So, next steps are coming; the ball is entirely in
Geronimo’s court now.” Kline said he is encouraged to see a relatively large voter turnout. Tuesday’s
vote was the result of a resident-led petition to allow Mendon Township
voters the option of siding with the township board’s decision or
opposing its ordinance to allow solar-panel development. The
ordinance took about two years to create, requiring input from the
township’s planning commission before some revisions and ultimately its
approval by the township board April 2. Opponents have said their is what they consider a weak ordinance that does little to protect Mendon Township.
Kayleen Grand, who has represented the group opposed to the
ordinance, said she and like-minded residents opposed to the development
did everything they could to have a say. “I think the tight vote
represents that the community still doesn’t understand what this
proposal is going to mean,” she said. “It’s so close and that means that
there really, truly was a pretty significant opposition. Grand
said the 319 votes against the ordinance means there are more opponents
than the two-dozen or so people who faithfully attended the township’s
planning commission and its board meetings as the issue was being
evaluated. A Mendon-area native, Grand said despite the
election-day setback, she is proud of the work opponents put into
educating the public and their commitment to following the governmental
process that led to the township board’s April vote. “Nothing to
be ashamed of, really, but 12 votes — that’s really hard to accept.
Twelve votes is just so close,” she said. “It does show that our
community is divided and I think the township should look at that ...
and we need to look at how we can still keep up the voices of 50 percent
of the community.” Geronimo’s White Pine solar development in Mendon Township would be the first solar-panel operation in St. Joseph County. Geronimo plans to create a 20-megawatt project on the property it purchased in 2017 from farmer Lyle Schmidt. Based
on the company’s analysis of the Mendon Township site, it will require a
capital investment of $29 million and reduce an estimated 24,000 metric
tons of carbon dioxide annually. |
First, A farm is a piece of land that produces FOOD. Second, Michigan ranks 47th out of the 48 Continual States. So why take good Farm Land when there are places with not so good land and a lot more Sun ?
We live in Benton Township Eaton County MI. And are fighting that same company. They are wanting almost 1000 acres, most of it is good farm land.
Dusty
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Kansas99
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Joined: 26 Feb 2015
Location: W Kansas
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Posted: 29 Jan 2020 at 7:11am |
"So why take good Farm Land when there are places with not so good land and a lot more Sun ?"
Just guessing that they are trying to get as close to urban areas as they can to save on infrastructure.
"We live in Benton Township Eaton County MI. And are fighting that
same company. They are wanting almost 1000 acres, most of it is good
farm land."
Are they not allowing the individual land owner the right to decide if he wants them on his land? Just curious why the township or county would have to fight them.
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"Thank you for your service Joe & the Ho"-----Joseph Stalin
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DMiller
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Posted: 29 Jan 2020 at 8:40am |
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These companies want the Flattest, most convenient ground to work with, and if one looks to the Wind farms around Dodge City or anywhere across the Plains, check out how many are operating in the hottest part of summer, NEGLIGIBLE due to Solar Ground heating caused Turbulence that affects stability of turbine speeds.
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Kansas99
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Posted: 29 Jan 2020 at 11:36am |
DMiller wrote:
These companies want the Flattest, most convenient ground to work with, and if one looks to the Wind farms around Dodge City or anywhere across the Plains, check out how many are operating in the hottest part of summer, NEGLIGIBLE due to Solar Ground heating caused Turbulence that affects stability of turbine speeds. |
I understand they want the flattest most convenient ground. That is why I used the Dodge farm as example. My point was at some point they could just buy it and/or maybe where Ed is at $10-20k an acre is less than the ground is worth. I don't know but that seemed like a little high for lease money maybe not, just a little fishy from what I would have thought.
I go buy the wind farm around Dodge a lot and I have yet to see them not running when it's hot. There is at times when some aren't running, as it's a large wind farm and all the electricity isn't needed or can't be put on line. However they are getting them on line slowly. The wind farm that I drive thru almost daily that has towers with in 300 ft of ground I lease has absolutely never been shut down on any day winter or summer unless there was not enough or too much wind. Maybe somewhere this problem exists but not here and a summer day over 100 is pretty common here.
Edited by Kansas99 - 29 Jan 2020 at 11:38am
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Mikez
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Posted: 29 Jan 2020 at 4:38pm |
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Has any of you ever see that show, Mysteries of the Abandond. That what I feel these solar fields are going to end up on in the future. The company's are just going to disappear and there's no way to dispose of them.
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Kansas99
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Posted: 29 Jan 2020 at 6:25pm |
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Mike I agree. The problem with all this stuff it's so inefficient that as soon as the government quits funding them they are history. I sat in a room with a GE rep on one wind farm project and don't quote me but around 70% of the cost of the build is the taxpayer and he said that as soon as that subsidy is gone there will never be another put up. That's from the guy that works for the company building them. You get the feeling it will look like down town in many large cities with abandoned buildings setting everywhere that once produced something.
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"Thank you for your service Joe & the Ho"-----Joseph Stalin
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 30 Jan 2020 at 5:21pm |
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Local Co-Op put one up several years ago.. About 2 MW... Cost was going to be $3 MILLION... Someone asked how we could afford that... The answer was... Well, the FED will pay $2 million, and the County will give us a Tax Break, and with other incentives, we wil have to pay about $ 400,000..... "at that rate it is PROBABLY a good idea".... YEP... on someone elses dime !!
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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