FAQ

When you install a solar energy system on your property, you save money on your electricity bills and protect yourself against rising electricity rates in the future. How much you can save depends on the utility rates and solar policies in your area, but going solar is a smart investment regardless of where you live.

When a landowner leases a parcel of property for a renewable project, you have a guaranteed source of income during project development and every year after the project goes on line, for 20 years or longer. For many of our landowner partners, the annual lease payments mean ranches and farms can now be passed on to the fourth and fifth generations of the family.

Solar power, like other renewable energy resources, has many environmental and health benefits. Going solar reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change, and also results in fewer air pollutants like sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, which can cause health problems.

Solar panels convert sunshine into power, so if your panels are covered in snow they can’t produce electricity. Snow generally isn’t heavy enough to cause structural issues with your panels, and since most panels are tilted at an angle the snow will slide off. If snow does accumulate, your panels are easy to clean.

A solar farm will include solar panels mounted on steel piles in rows, several inverters on concrete pads or large steel piles, a substation, and transmission line to a nearby utility transmission line. The solar panels and inverter equipment are typically less than 10 feet in height, and the panels will usually rotate to follow the sun from east to west throughout the day. The substation and transmission line look like the electrical stations and lines you see every day. Roads will allow maintenance and emergency vehicles to access all parts of the solar farm.

A fence will be built around all the equipment that is part of the farm. The fence can include precautions necessary to keep out livestock or wild animals that could be hurt by or damage the equipment.

Because solar panels are mounted on steel piles driven into the ground, the disturbance to the host’s land is minimal. Native plants will grow under the panels and around the equipment, and little water is used once the plant is operational. When the solar farm stops operating, the land will be returned to its original state. Hosting solar can be a way to rest low-producing agricultural land while still receiving some economic benefit.

The solar farm will have a dedicated access road and fencing surrounding the project during construction and operation, and only qualified personnel will be authorized to enter the project area. Construction and permanent employees will not enter or disturb land that is not dedicated to the solar farm.

BFA Energy collaborates with landowners to find the best project for your land. We are open to working with you to provide solar facilities for your use in addition to a utility solar farm.

Mowing vegetation around the panels and cleaning panels may occur several times per year, and preventative maintenance on the electrical equipment typically occurs once per year. The solar farm will have a dedicated access road and fence surrounding the property so in the case of planned or unplanned maintenance, landowners will not be disturbed.

Because the solar farm only minimally disturbs the host land, the land can be returned to its native condition once the plant has completed its operational life. BFA Energy will remove all equipment with no permanent damage to the land.

Once we establish the land is suitable, we negotiate an annual acreage payment, paid during project development. The annual lease payment is paid to landowners once the project is complete.

The land for solar farm projects is used exclusively for generating solar energy. We take that into account in negotiating your lease agreement, so that you are fairly and properly compensated. All the land adjacent to the solar array is available and safe to use as you always have.

BFA Energy works closely with state and federal wildlife agencies and environmental consultants and organizations to minimize impacts on wildlife and habitat.

Like any large construction project, building a solar farm puts big trucks and heavy equipment on roads in your community. Prior to construction, we work out logistics with project engineers and contractors to minimize traffic congestion with engineering and construction firms. We're also in frequent communication with local government and media so you know what to expect.