Solar Development On Farms - Facts, Finances & What You Need To Know
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- Опубліковано 24 вер 2024
- The subject of solar development on farm ground generates a lot of impassioned opinions. But do you know the all the facts? Listen to Damian’s discussion with Illinois farmer John Carroll, who has eight on-farm solar developments powering livestock and farm facilities. He is also exploring community solar projects, where a municipality leases farm land for solar power development. John explains the three types of solar - on-farm, community, and commercial - as well as the business side of solar from a farm and landowner perspective.
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Hated this conversation. But thanks for presenting it. This subject matter is also emerging here in Australia.
High-voltage transmission lines
These lines can transmit electricity for hundreds of miles, and losses are typically around 2%. Power losses increase with the square of a wire's current, so keeping the voltage high helps reduce losses. Typical voltages for long-distance transmission are between 155,000 and 765,000 volts, while typical home voltage is between 120 and 240 volts.
Solar panel prices have leveled off, and the solar panels degrade 2% per year, so your case for arguing for a 2% inflation adder on your land is a conceptually difficult thing to do.
The only problem I have with the discussion of bonded solar panels when the the lease is up and the solar panels company is ready to say goodbye is that in 30 years, there are going to be solar panel recyclers, and there are going to be robots that will come in and do the work for you. A bond is ridiculous if the company is leaving assets on your land. JD just released an update for their tractors so it can plow, plant, an entire field with no human, as long as you leave a 80 pound bag of concrete in the seat. Caterpillar has computerized hydralics so you can remote use an excavator, rock truck, any piece of equipment, and the mining trucks are fully remote. Shtt gonna happen. I bet if you put your own computerized actuator controller on your moline, you could attach an extra alternator, transformer, and a computer, and then open up chat gpt and tell Chat GPT that you want your "new" computerized tractor to go pull up all the solar panels, and it would figure out how.
That's all good thoughts. There is the concern that the panels left on the farm are left before 30 years, say a few years into this when political winds change. And what if there are environmental concerns? Therefore, the bond.
Thanks for tuning in to the discussion and the comments.