Both the solar and wind industries have experienced incredible growth in the past couple of decades, creating thousands of jobs across the county and contributing millions of dollars in new tax revenue and investment within local communities. Both technologies can be sited on and alongside many existing land uses including private, rural properties, commercial and manufacturing sites, landfills, airports, managed timberland, and agricultural land. It is not just possible, but preferable, for wind and solar to be located close to energy demand, minimizing the amount of costly transmission infrastructure that must be built to supply clean power to populated areas.
In agricultural communities, local farmers reap benefits from the stable income diversification, and communities receive significant additional revenues from the capital investment and addition to tax base. Combining traditional agricultural production with stable wind or solar lease payments makes farms more resilient to shifts in the market price and yield of agricultural products. Wind and solar farms also help protect and preserve agricultural land for future farming generations.
Utility-scale solar and wind sites undergo rigorous environmental, cultural resources, power grid, and other analyses to ensure proper siting. These siting criteria greatly limit the available land that is appropriate for development.
When the project reaches decommissioning, all equipment is removed and the land will be restored to its condition prior to the construction of the solar or wind farm, including the replacement of prime soils and topsoil.
For both types of technologies, only a portion of land is taken up by project infrastructure. This creates several dual land use opportunities. Livestock grazing, land conservation, and active row crop farming are all opportunities involved in diversifying land use while enhancing overall productivity.
Ranger Power engages with community stakeholders early in the development process to ensure that our projects reflect the goals and values of the host community. We incorporate community input into our project design, leading to many unique project characteristics. Examples include developing agricultural soil decommissioning plans with local farm bureaus and planning commissions, identifying and aiding wildlife areas within our project site, and preserving areas used for outdoor recreation.
The power from projects is injected into the regional electricity grid. This will help meet renewable energy requirements and have a direct positive effect on all ratepayers by offering in-state, cost effective, and reliable clean energy
