2 MW landowner and community owned
solar farms
Fast Track Investment Program
Albany County, New York
Solar Farms in Albany, County New York can now be owned by landowners and the local community.
Our 2 – 5 MW Fast Track Landowner and Community owned solar farm development program is for community members and landowners of Albany County, New York.
Our primary goal is to bring power, profits, and jobs back to the people who live and work in their communities. After carefully analyzing Federal Energy Regulation Committee guidelines, Solarcollab has identified a low cost, fast track model to develop, fund and build 2 MW solar farms across Albany County, New York for community members who live in the cities of Albany, Alcove, Altamont, Berne, Clarksville, Coeymans, Coeymans Hollow, Cohoes, Delmar, East Berne, Feura Bush, Glenmont, Guilderland, Guilderland Center, Knox, Latham, Medusa, Newtonville, Preston Hollow, Ravena, Rensselaerville, Slkirk, Slingerlands, South Bethleham, Troy, Voorheesville, Watervliet and Westerlo.
Why only 2 MW?
Primarily because we can get them constructed and interconnected to the grid in record time, at minimal cost, and with fewer regulatory requirements.
This is a solar energy investment program is completely unique… a first of its kind, conceived by Solarcollab. The program is designed to allow landowners not just to earn income from leasing their land, but to also participate in the OWNERSHIP of the solar farm.
We are able to apply for rural grants that reduces the total cost of each solar farm… and we will raise the money for each project on the Solarcollab Investment Platform, selling shares of the Solar Power Plant to members of the local community. This is the first program of its kind that is designed to redistribute the profits of the venture back to the people where each solar project is located by crowdselling shares of ownership for each solar farm.
Four Easy Steps To Begin The Process
What makes a good Solar Farm site location?
Solarcollab’s Fast Track Landowner and Community Owned Solar Farm program leverages Fintech protocols on the blockchain that allows us to be able to develop these solar projects in a low cost model so that we can offer equity shares of the solar project to the landowner and local community. Profits that would normally go to a large corporation, are now redirected back to the local community. Check to see if your land meets the following criteria:
We are democratizing Solar Farm Ownership!
Solarcollab raises the funds for your community solar farm on our crowd investment platform. For as little as $1 a share members of the local community can now actually buy stock in their community solar farm. The profits that the solar farm earns will be sent to their digital wallet on a quarterly basis.
Host A Solar Farm Application Form
Complete every field in this form and we will start the process to see if we can bring a community owned solar farm to your local area. Please remember, we need all the information requested below to proceed.
Questions and Answers Zoom Calls
Join our bi-weekly zoom conference call that show cases an innovative use case of a cutting edge blockchain solution from one of our blockchain consortium members.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the most common questions we receive about our 2 MW Fast Track Landowner and Community owned solar farm impact investment program.
Landowners
A solar land lease is a contract between the property owner and Solarcollab that allows us to build a solar farm on your property in exchange for lease payments to the landowner. Each land lease contract is different, but generally the contract is for 20 years and sometimes there may be an option to extend the term for an additional number of years.
The power generated by the solar farm will be sold to your power grid. This could be a local co-op, large energy company, or individual company.
With the current process involving city planning, permits, and navigating the average 4-year USA interconnection queue bottleneck, the installation of a solar farm can typically take several years. However, our community solar program is designed to be prioritized at the top of the interconnection queue, significantly reducing the timeline. As a result, our solar farms can be installed and operational within six to twelve months. During this time, you’ll be free to continue using your land.
Solarcollab will contract out the operations and maintenace for the solar farm during its life, and will remove all equipment and reclaim your property once the project has ended.
The presence of a solar farm on your property can affect property taxes, but the specifics depend on local tax laws and regulations. Generally, property taxes may increase due to the added value of the solar infrastructure. However, in many areas, there are tax incentives, exemptions, or reductions available for renewable energy projects that can offset these increases.
As for who pays the taxes, it typically depends on the lease agreement between the landowner and the solar farm operator. In most cases, the solar company leasing the land will cover any additional property taxes resulting from the installation of the solar farm. It's important to clearly outline tax responsibilities in the lease agreement to ensure there are no unexpected costs for the landowner.
The amount of land required for a typical solar farm depends on the scale of the project and the desired energy output. On average, it takes about 5-10 acres of land to generate one megawatt (MW) of electricity. For smaller community solar projects, you might need 1-5 acres for a few hundred kilowatts of capacity. Larger utility-scale solar farms can require hundreds of acres to produce multiple megawatts of power.
Factors such as land topography, shading, and local zoning regulations can also impact the land requirements. It's essential to conduct a site assessment to determine the suitability and optimal size for your specific solar farm project.
Choosing the right solar developer is crucial for maximizing your land's potential. Our Community Solar Energy Farm Program uniquely offers multiple revenue streams that no other developer provides, ensuring you make the most money. Here’s why our program stands out:
- Land Lease Agreement: Steady, long-term rental income.
- Solar Energy Production: Sell electricity back to the grid or directly to consumers.
- Energy Storage Systems: Earn more by storing and selling energy during peak times.
- Prefabricated Modular Growhouses: Generate additional revenue by cultivating high-value crops year-round.
- Vertical Farming Systems: Maximize crop yields and increase sales.
- Solar-Powered Water Irrigation: Reduce water costs and improve crop productivity.
- Biochar Soil Enhancement: Enhance soil fertility, yielding premium-priced produce.
- Solar-Powered Cold Storage: Preserve produce quality and sell at higher prices.
- IoT Sensor Precision Farming Data: Increase efficiency and profitability with real-time monitoring.
- AgrisolarAI Monitoring and Optimization: Use AI to optimize farming practices and predict yields.
- Carbon Credit Generation: Earn income from carbon credit programs.
- Mobile Plant Extraction Lab Processing: Create value-added products on-site.
- Crop Product Manufacturing: Expand market reach with manufacturing capabilities.
- Community Ownership and Tokenization: Share profits with the community and benefit from blockchain liquidity.
No other developer offers this comprehensive suite of income opportunities. By choosing our program, you maximize your earnings and contribute to community and environmental sustainability.
Absolutely. Our Community Solar Energy Farm Program is designed to allow landowners to have ownership stakes in the solar farm on their property. This means you can directly benefit from the revenue generated by the solar farm, in addition to other income streams such as land lease payments and crop production. By owning a part of the solar farm, you not only maximize your financial returns but also play an active role in promoting renewable energy and community sustainability. This ownership model ensures that profits are shared within the community, giving you a vested interest in the project's success.
Getting started with Solarcollab is easy and straightforward. Follow these steps to explore hosting a solar farm on your vacant land:
- Fill Out Our "Host A Solar Farm Application" on this webpage to see if your land qualifies for partnering with Solarcollab.
- Site Assessment: We will conduct a comprehensive site assessment remotely using Google Maps and our advanced Solar Design software. This process includes evaluating the land’s suitability for solar panel installation, reviewing local regulations, and discussing your specific needs and objectives.
- Proposal: Based on the site assessment, we will provide a detailed proposal outlining the potential revenue streams, project timeline, and terms of the agreement.
- Agreement: Once you review and agree to the proposal, we will finalize the contract, ensuring all terms are clear and mutually beneficial.
- Development: Our team will handle all aspects of the project development, including permits, construction, and connection to the grid.
- Enjoy the Benefits: Once the solar farm is operational, you’ll start receiving income from various revenue streams, including lease payments, energy sales, and more.
Fill out our "Host A Solar Farm Application" on this webpage to see if your land qualifies for partnering with Solarcollab. We look forward to helping you make the most of your land while contributing to a sustainable future.
Investments
The initial cost to develop a community or utility scale solar energy project is quite expensive. However, once they are constructed they are not that expensive to operate and maintain for the next 25 years. One of the ways that we fund these solar projects is through crowdfunding. In general, the term crowdfunding refers to any online-based, collective investment by multiple people (i.e. the crowd) for a specific project. Solar project developers or owners present their projects on the Solarcollab crowdfunding investment platform in order to solicit financial support from the general public. As each solar project generates clean renewable electricity, the electricity is sold to the local utility or third-party commercial entities under a long term contract. The revenue from these revenue streams are used to initially pay for the operating and maintenance expenses of the solar energy system. The rest of the revenue is used to pay down for the project financing, debt, taxes and administration or the solar asset.
We are in the process of updating the answer to "How is my investment income paid to me?"... this section will be complete by February 14, 2021.
We are in the process of updating the answer to "How liquid is my initial investment?"... this section will be complete by February 14, 2021.
The internal rate of return is a metric used in financial analysis to estimate the profitability of potential investments. The internal rate of return is a discount rate that makes the net present value (NPV) of all cash flows equal to zero in a discounted cash flow analysis. IRR calculations rely on the same formula as NPV does.
When you invest with Solarcollab, you are buying a piece of a solar energy power plant, similar to buying a piece of real estate. You have "equity" in the project and literally and legally own a portion of it. Investments in "real assets" such as this are inherently illiquid. The objective is to put long-term savings and investment capital "to work" by investing in a diversified portfolio of solar energy projects and collecting dividends over a long period. That said, if an investor desires to sell their stock in a portfolio during the operational life of an investment, Solarcollab will make commercially reasonable efforts to buy that stock from the investor according to the terms and conditioned set forth in the Reg A Offering Circular for each investment. Solarcollab is actively working on a secondary market option for the purchase and sale of these stocks by and between platform investors.
Return on Investment (ROI) is a performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. ROI tries to directly measure the amount of return on a particular investment, relative to the investment’s cost. To calculate ROI, the benefit (or return) of an investment is divided by the cost of the investment. The result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio.
Albany County is a county in the state of New York, in the United States. Its northern border is formed by the Mohawk River, at its confluence with the Hudson River, which is on the east. As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204. The county seat and largest city is Albany, the state capital of New York. As originally established by the English government in the colonial era, Albany County had an indefinite amount of land, but has had an area of 530 square miles (1,400 km2) since March 3, 1888. The county is named for the Duke of York and of Albany, who became James II of England (James VII of Scotland).