Chances are if you own a piece of suitable land in xcel energy s service territory at least one solar company has reached out to discuss leasing your land for one of their projects.
Is my land suitable for solar panels.
However this is a rough estimate as space can also be influenced by the efficiency of the panels and technology.
Let s look at an example from landmark dividend.
Depending on the current land use of the lessee solar may or may not be allowed on the site.
Solar farms go through a rigorous planning procedure before they are approved.
Approximately 100 square feet is required for every 1 kw of solar panels needed.
This takes into account the suitability of the specific site any potential impact on the area and relevant renewable energy targets.
A solar panel installation is a relatively low value use for land.
In other terms we can say that for each 1 kw of solar panels you need 100 sqft of an area on average.
Amount of land available.
Here s what you need to consider.
There are a few factors that determine whether or not your land is suitable for a solar farm.
To be cost effective a solar panel installation needs a large parcel of contiguous land according to the university of arizona.
It is assumed at 4 5 acres for crystalline silicon c si technology and 7 8 acres per mw for thin film solar a si or cdte technology.
If current farming operations are suitable for solar or unused land exists solar may be suitable.
About 5 acres of land per mw for solar pv crystalline is required.