They don't build these on $5,000 an acre land. Them tell them you will lease your new land out to them. I I don't understand why these guys don't buy their own land sometimes. Do they have no capital yet?

How many acres of the 1,000 acres? All of it and only yours will be used and not the neighbors? Could be why they said not to let them know. Would be nice to only use part of your place and some of the neighbors and you all get on the same page and still have huntable land left. My in-laws leased their land, several thousand acres to a now defunct wind company between Amarillo and Canyon. Didn't receive anything but pipe dreams. They signed to take ownership % which resulted in nothing. I recommended taking the lease bonus... Not sure they would have saw that though. I suppose this solar deal is probably more realistic since it requires less land overall.

If they are serious with the deal, make sure you are getting the best deal. You can easily buy another place with that kind of money. They don't build these on $5,000 an acre land. Them tell them you will lease your new land out to them. I I don't understand why these guys don't buy their own land sometimes. Do they have no capital yet?

I would tell them to kick rocks.

The residents of Van Zandt County are in a big fight, about to be a legal one, to stop one a little bit bigger from going in our county.

How long is the lease? Contrary to popular belief there are a lot of cons associated with solar. Pretty big environmental impacts that aren't well studied.

I'd rather have 10,000 acres of windmills than 10 acres of solar.

Here is a little information

Wow. That’s butt hurt.

One grow yard, preconditioning, or even Dairy is more polluting.

Big difference in population density in E TX vs W TX. I don't blame people for being pissed off. Decent amount of homes in the area and a few pretty nice ones. I looked at a property for sale that would have bordered this late 2017; passed for other reasons. Would have been quite pissed if I bought a property and a year later I'm bordered on two sides by 400,000 solar panels.

The negativity has more to do with surrounding LO's drumming up support to control what other LO's do with or on their own property.
This is a slippery slope with broad consequences, if a group or even a few neighboring LO's can stop solar arrays being installed on someone else's land a precedent will be set.

Get ready for LO rights to go further into the toilet.

The OP explained this particular situation & location, this thread has nothing to do with Van Zandt county.

His father the LO wants to retire, he thought about the possibilities of he and his brother taking over the farm.
There is no way farming 1000 acres of dry land in that specific area will support him, his brother and supply any retirement income for his father.
You simply are not going to make $400 per acre every year for the next 20 - 30 or so years farming the land.
Not to mention just equipment replacement costs over the 20 - 30 years.

You’d have to be already be doing well farming not to take the preliminary $10 per acre for them to assess the suitability of the property.
After that the $400 per acre per year sets up Granddad & Dad for a very nice retirement.
Hope it is no time soon, the heirs can buy a lot of property even retire early splitting the solar income.

Seriously how many are well off enough to turn down up to $400,000 per year without lifting a finger.

They are building a small one on 90 acres 45.000 pivoting solar panels. They said the heat will be about 10 degrees hotter for the homes around it. I’m glad I don’t live by it.

X2. You couldn’t average net 400 if it was irrigated 380 bushel and acre corn.


They might be talked into putting 30% away each year for another property. Worst case, you can get a hell of a Stx lease for 12k a year

Yeah, seems like a no brainer if they come through based on the money. You can hunt anywhere with that money and retire. The waiting game would suck though. At least with oil/gas you get a nice bonus while you wait (and sometimes paid a few times until they do anything) and still get to hunt and everything else as long as you own it and have some say so in where they do things.

The way ours was written the leased land can still be used like usual until the are ready to build. I’m betting all other contracts are the same.

I'd research the impact on wildlife, it's devastating and unrecoverable in your lifetime. That reason alone would prompt me to walk away.

Your only real option is sellout for 75% of the entire offer up front and walk away. I can give you first hand knowledge of the impact on wildlife of these green projects, it's not so green or eco-friendly.

If the wind farm company is making money, they will keep their promises. If not they could just walk off leaving you with a mess to clean up. There are plenty of abandoned wind farms. It looks like those large windmills would be expensive to remove. If they don't have the money to clean up their mess, you are stuck with it. I think if I were you, I would do plenty of checking these companies past history. The salesman is going to paint a pretty picture for your dad to see. Check it out and go with your gut.

There are abandoned wind turbines left standing with no money in escrow to clean them up?

My lease had north of six figure per pad(would have to pull contract for exact but it’s up there) in escrow for reclaimation, our solar contract was similar on $ per acreage. Most states govern wind and solar sites same as Oil and Gas,

The Texas RRC 100% does NOT regulate wind and solar like O&G. That is a fact. There are virtually no regulations in the state in regards to solar and wind.

What is the wildlife that cant recover in our lifetime?