How a Community Solar Farm Is Built

With so many states prioritizing renewable energy goals, solar development has seen a boom in recent years. But while it may seem like more and more solar farms are popping up overnight, the process of building a farm is fairly complex. It can take years to go from original design to fully operational farm. Community solar subscribers are probably familiar with these long timelines as there is often a delay after signing up before a farm starts producing solar credits.

How long does it take to build a solar farm?

The answer is that it varies. Some projects take longer than others due to several factors including contract negotiations, inclement weather, and delays in connecting the farm to the electrical grid. On average, the entire process takes 2-3 years—though it is not uncommon for it to take up to almost 5 years. For simplicity, let’s break the process down into three main phases:

Phase 1: Land acquisition, initial design, and permitting (1 - 4 years)

The first step is to find a suitable location for solar arrays. Using land surveys and geospatial data, a site acquisition team will locate public parcels, private farms, commercial buildings, and parking lots that meet the criteria for solar development. Solar developers primarily look for areas that are big enough to accommodate a solar farm, require minimal disturbance to existing land use or ecological function, and are close to existing electrical grid systems.

Once developers have identified a suitable location, they’ll create a preliminary design for the farm. At the same time, they’ll negotiate lease terms with the property owner to get site control and seek regulatory permits for construction. It can take a while to receive the proper permits and reach a lease agreement with the landowner. As a result, phase 1 of building a solar farm usually takes between 1 and 4 years.

Phase 2: Engineering, procurement, and construction (6 - 10 months)

Once a development team has site control and the proper permits in place, they begin looking for an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor. EPCs play a crucial role in making solar farms a reality as they are ultimately responsible for engineering the site and building the solar farm.

EPCs are responsible for:

• Providing a construction schedule
• Engineering a solar farm design to complement project needs/viability
• Procuring equipment
• Constructing the solar farm
• Interconnecting to the grid

A solar developer generally receives proposals from several EPCs, selecting the one that most closely meets the needs of the project. Once a contract is signed, the developer hands the project over to the selected EPC to begin construction.

Importantly, it is also during this time that Perch will begin to sign up community solar subscribers for the solar farm. Having a solid subscriber base gives state regulators, utilities, and project investors’ confidence that the farm will be a viable community solar project. With the EPC and some initial subscribers on board, construction is ready to begin.

The first step of construction is preparing the site. This includes:

• Setting up erosion control measures
• Building stormwater management controls
• Preparing facilities for workers including office trailers, storage containers, and porta-potties
• Removing large boulders and sometimes trees (don’t worry, they plant seedlings later to maintain the ecological merit of the land!)

Once these preliminary steps are completed, the EPC can start driving posts into the ground, setting the foundation for the racking. With these foundations in place, it’s time for the panels. Crews can typically install 800-900 panels per day depending on weather and the size of the construction team. On average, a 5-megawatt community solar farm will have 12,000 panels, though that number can vary depending on the size and wattage of the panels. That means it typically takes between 12 and 15 days just to get all the panels in place. Overall construction typically takes 4-6 months.

With the panels in place, the solar farm will begin to look like the finished product. However, there are still a few more steps left before clean energy starts flowing to the grid.

Phase 3: Interconnection (2 - 12 months)

Once the solar farm is built, the construction crew needs to make sure the proper infrastructure is in place to connect the solar farm to the grid. This process is called interconnection.

Interconnection kicks off concurrently with engineering, procurement, and construction and runs throughout the entire process. After the development team signs a lease agreement with the landowner, they begin to work with the local utility to ensure that the proper infrastructure is in place to connect the new solar farm to the electricity grid. In recent years, this process has taken a bit longer due to transmission studies conducted by utilities—essentially, utilities need to make sure that the grid can handle the added electricity without being overwhelmed.

Much of the interconnection work happens during construction. Depending on the necessary upgrades to the grid, this phase includes:

• Conducting studies to determine the impact of adding more solar to the grid
• Digging trenches for underground wiring Installing electricity poles
• Upgrading the substation or even building a new one
• Performing tests once the farm is complete

The interconnection phase is often where we see the greatest variation in expected timelines. While some solar farms can be interconnected quickly, others may take much longer depending on their location and the upgrades that need to be made to the grid infrastructure to handle the added electricity. Utilities play a big role in the interconnection process, and timelines are often impacted by their availability.

Once the new farm has been properly interconnected, the local utility will conduct several tests to make sure that everything is running properly. If all goes according to plan, then the farm finally reaches PTO: Permission to Operate. This is when the farm officially can start adding clean energy to the grid! Assuming there aren’t any glitches, community solar subscribers will begin to see solar credits on their utility bills shortly after.

Site sustainability

Today, many solar projects that are being built with the environment in mind. Although building a solar farm can alter the ecological habitat of the land it’s built on, there are many ways that developers and can mitigate the impacts of construction and even improve the agricultural and ecological quality of the land. When possible, construction crews will seed and green solar sites to promote pollinator habitat and increase ecological diversity. Landowners will often look to have additional ecological enhancements like sheep grazing on site in lieu of mowers to maintain the land. For projects built on farmland, some developers will work closely with landowners to accommodate crop cultivation and other grazing activities. This sustainable approach to development is called “dual-use,” because in addition to producing clean energy, the project provides benefits to the environment.

When appropriate and viable these dual-use measures will be implemented once the project is up and running.

How do project timelines impact community solar subscribers?

In short, solar credits will not be added to your utility bill until after your project reaches PTO. And even after PTO, there may be a month or two delay depending on your utility’s billing cycle. For community solar subscribers, this can mean a long wait time between sign up and savings. You can always check the status of your project on the customer portal, and Perch will regularly send email updates.

Perch begins signing up community solar subscribers while a project is in the initial stages of engineering, procurement, and construction. It’s important to remember that the reason we sign customers up for projects so early in the process is because it gives state regulators, utilities, and investors’ confidence that the project will have the subscriber base needed to be a viable community solar project. It is because of your early support that solar developers can build more solar projects around the region and continue to add solar to our electrical grid. When you sign up for community solar, you’re providing an immediate and meaningful impact. And the benefits will come back to you in the form of solar credits, just a few months later.

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