LEASE YOUR PROPERTY​

Earn fixed, long-term revenue from your land

Overview

Benefits of a solar lease

Competitive

Our solar lease rates typically start at least 3 to 4 times higher than other agricultural lease rates.

Fixed

The leases last for 20+ years and the prices are fixed, which provides a predictable source of income.

Diversified

A solar lease is a revenue stream that isn’t tied to the volatile price of commodities.

Zero Costs

Landowners pay none of the costs. All costs associated with building and maintaining the solar system are Cloudbreak’s responsibility.

No Additional Taxes

Landowners pay no additional taxes - Cloudbreak covers any additional taxes caused by the construction of the solar system.

No Maintenance

We handle all of the ongoing maintenance associated with the solar system and land which we've leased. Landowners have no responsibility or cost to maintain.

Overview

Optimal Solar Land

Located near existing power lines

5+ acres of contiguous land

Outside of floodplains and wetlands

Relatively flat without significant slope

(< 10% grade)

Overview

Land Use Considerations

Preserve Farmland

Our solar leases enable landowning families to preserve prime agricultural acreage for future generations. Solar installations require minimal ground disturbance, allowing farming operations to continue alongside (and sometimes underneath!) the panels. Unlike more permanent forms of development, such as housing, the pile-driven solar panels can easily be removed after the life of the project.

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Optimize Water Resources

Leasing land for solar not only offers landowners a predictable long-term revenue stream but also frees up capital for vital farm investments. From upgrading machinery to enhancing infrastructure, our solar leases empower farmers to modernize their operations for increased efficiency and productivity.

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Invest in Equipment

Our team will work with your family on a plan to efficiently manage water resources on the property. In some cases, landowners choose to redistribute their water to other properties they own. This redistribution can optimize irrigation practices, enhancing crop yields while conserving precious water supplies.

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Overview

Community Benefits

Job Creation

Creating local jobs for the construction and ongoing maintenance of the solar system.

Educational Resource

Providing local students with scholarships and job training opportunities.

Local Tax Revenue

Generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in property tax revenue for your county.

Savings on Electric Bills

Allowing members of your community to save money on their electric bills, which will help improve the local economy.

Energy Independence

Generating American-made energy that reduces our dependence on foreign oil.

Ecological Benefits

Improving the local environment. We will be partnering with local companies and nonprofits to design optimal bird and pollinator habitats on properties with existing water rights.

Cloudbreak

Development Timeline

A distant snow capped mountain range in front of rolling green farm land
Development Timeline
Land Evaluation

We will evaluate your land to see if it would be a good fit for a solar project. We typically look for 5+ acre pieces of relatively flat land near existing utility infrastructure, and outside of floodplains and wetlands.

Step
1.
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Development Timeline
Term Sheet

Once we have agreed on the high-level economic terms of the lease, Cloudbreak will execute a term sheet with the landowner. The term sheet demonstrates that both parties are serious in pursuing the development of a solar project on the parcel and a long-term lease with Cloudbreak Energy as the Lessee.

An executed term sheet allows Cloudbreak to invest in and conduct further site diligence to verify the project will be able to move forward.

The term sheet provides Cloudbreak Energy with exclusivity to develop solar on the site for a specified term, however, if the landowner decides to use the parcel for another use (farming, real estate development, oil and gas, etc.) before execution of the site lease, both parties are free to walk away.

Step
2.
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Development Timeline
In-Depth Review of Land

Once our term sheet is executed, Cloudbreak will conduct a thorough property review. We will order title and engineering reports while reaching out to all relevant local authorities to glean information on the permitting process.

Step
3.
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Development Timeline
Site Lease Execution

Barring any red flags found during our review, Cloudbreak will initiate engagement on the formal site lease agreement. Our site leases typically come with an upfront Option to Lease Period, where we have the exclusive right to lease your property for at least an 36 month term before the lease begins.

During the Option to Lease Period, we will work on getting all of the necessary approvals from the local utility company and the local authorities. This allows us to ensure there will be no outstanding issues before construction has started.

While we work on the approval process, you are free to continue using your land for farming or grazing. Once construction begins (after all approvals are complete), you will receive the first full lease payment, which will continue for the next 20+ years.

Step
4.
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Development Timeline
Local Utility and Authority Approval

We will work with the local utility to ensure that we can safely connect our solar system to their electrical grid. We will also work with the town or county where the property is located to secure all necessary permits.

Step
5.
At Sunlight man worker fixes solar panels on a metal basis, A worker fixing solar panels on the roof, and a male fixing a solar panel in the daytime.
Development Timeline
Construction

Once we have all of the necessary permitting and utility approvals, we will start the construction of the system. This process usually takes 2-3 months from start to finish.

Step
6.
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Development Timeline
Electricity Generation and System Maintenance
After the system has been built and is interconnected with the electrical grid, we will only have to visit the property 4-6 times per year for preventative maintenance. We will continue paying you a site lease payment for 20+ years after the construction is complete. Once the lease ends, we will remove the system at no cost to you.
Step
7.

Overview

Frequently asked questions

Does this lease require any additional work from me?
Does this lease require any additional work from me?

No. Upon signing the lease option, all of the necessary permitting, interconnection, construction and solar system maintenance work will be handled by us. 

Do I have to pay for any of the costs associated with the solar project?
Do I have to pay for any of the costs associated with the solar project?

No. We cover all costs related to the solar project.

Would Cloudbreak be interested in purchasing my property instead of leasing it?
Would Cloudbreak be interested in purchasing my property instead of leasing it?
Yes, if you are interested in selling the property, we would be happy to discuss this option with you.
How will the land and solar system be maintained during the lease term?
How will the land and solar system be maintained during the lease term?
We will visit the site periodically and ensure that the panels are in good working order as well as handle any weeds or plants that may be growing under the solar panels. We will visit the site approximately 4 times per year and not disturb any of the rest of your operations.
When do I get paid?
When do I get paid?
Your first payment will be remitted within 60 days of signing our lease agreement
Do I need to own my own mineral rights?
Do I need to own my own mineral rights?
No, we will secure the surface use agreements with the mineral rights holder.
What happens at the end of the lease?
What happens at the end of the lease?

We will remove all equipment and then regrade/smooth the land.

Will the solar system produce any noise?
Will the solar system produce any noise?

During the day, solar systems have a minor humming noise similar to that of an air conditioner. This can be heard when you’re standing right next to the solar system.

The sound becomes inaudible from just a few hundred feet away. As soon as the sun goes down and the system stops producing energy, the humming stops.

Will the system produce glare?
Will the system produce glare?
Solar panels are designed to absorb sunlight, not reflect it, and each panel is treated with an anti-reflective coating. However, some reflection does occur. According to a study about the glare potential to aviators from solar systems, sunlight reflected away from solar panels produces the same amount of glare as a flat pond or lake. Also, because of the angle that solar panels are tilted at, the reflected sunlight is not visible to observers at ground level.
Do solar systems produce any electric and magnetic waves or frequencies (EMF)?
Do solar systems produce any electric and magnetic waves or frequencies (EMF)?

Solar systems produce very low EMF, only about 60Hz. EMF produced by typical cell phones, radios, and microwaves are much higher (30,000+ Hz).

Can I use the land around the system during the lease?
Can I use the land around the system during the lease?

Before we start construction, you are free to use the land as usual. From the start of construction to the end of the lease term, you can potentially graze sheep around our equipment, but you will otherwise not be permitted to use the land within the fence line.

Can landowners terminate their lease?
Can landowners terminate their lease?

No, landowners are not able to terminate their leases before the end of the contract term.

What happens if we sell the land?
What happens if we sell the land?
We will work with you and the buyer to assign your lease contract to the next owner of the property.
What happens when it snows or hails?
What happens when it snows or hails?

After it snows, it doesn’t take long for the snow to fall off due to the sunny locations of solar system and the tilt of the panels. As for hail, most manufacturers test their solar panels to withstand hail up to 1 inch in diameter falling at 50 miles per hour.

How do solar projects impact property value?
How do solar projects impact property value?
According to a study conducted by Kirkland Appraisals, LLC, “There is no impact on sale price for residential, agricultural or vacant residential land that adjoins existing or proposed solar farms.”
Will this affect the zoning of my land and increase my taxes?
Will this affect the zoning of my land and increase my taxes?

This may affect the zoning of the leased portion of your land. We will cover any consequential increase to your tax bill related to the solar installation.

What do you mean by Distributed Generation?
What do you mean by Distributed Generation?

Distributed Generation simply refers to any solar project that provides energy from a decentralized location, typically proximate to where the power is consumed, as opposed to a large, centralized facility (like a coal plant).

These solar projects can serve everyone from utilities, large corporates to rural electric co-ops, municipalities and local businesses.

What is Community Solar?
What is Community Solar?

Community Solar is an increasingly popular way for individuals, businesses, and other institutions to realize the benefits of solar. 

A Community Solar project consists of a centrally located solar system that provides discounted  electricity to customers in the local electric utility’s service territory. 

Community Solar allows residents, businesses, and nonprofits in your community to receive a discount on their electric bills and experience the benefits of solar without having to finance the installation of a solar system themselves.

East Coast

Cloudbreak has over 66.3 MWdc of sites under active development in major East Coast markets such as Virginia, New York, and others. These projects span large distributed projects with utilities such as Dominion as well as community solar projects in National Grid and NYSEG service territories.

Midwest

Cloudbreak Energy has been awarded 8 MWdc of distributed solar projects in Iowa. Cloudbreak is actively developing more than 23 MWdc of distributed and community solar projects in several Midwest markets and across multiple utility territories, such as WE Energies, WPS, and Xcel.

West Coast

Cloudbreak Energy has 70+ MWdc of distributed solar and solar plus storage projects in active development in various counties across the Pacific Northwest and in California. The West Coast is a large focus area for the firm as community and distributed solar legislation gains momentum in some of those key markets.

COLORADO

Cloudbreak has been awarded 70+MWdc of distributed and community solar projects with Xcel, Black Hills, and Mountain Parks Electric which are in various stages of maturity, ranging from permitting to COD. Cloudbreak also has 180 MWdc of utility scale solar and 212.2 MWdc of distributed and community solar projects under active development.