Keep an eye out for solar easements on and around your property

On Behalf of | Sep 24, 2021 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Solar energy is most efficient in places where the majority of days out of the year are sunny. It makes sense then that any time you purchase a property in the Sunshine State, there is a chance you have solar panels attached to it. At the very least, you may find your property surrounded by other lots and buildings with solar panels installed.

In either case, you ought to double-check whether your property or the others around it have a solar easement agreement in writing before signing on the dotted line.

The definition of easements and solar easements

Easements are ways one person gains access to something over another’s property. A good example of this is a driveway leading from one property to another. Sunlight works the same way.

As the FSEC Energy Research Center describes, solar easements protect one property owner’s ability to harvest light over another’s property lines. Solar panels need sunlight to generate energy and that light hits at different angles at different parts of the day.

The protection provided by solar easements

If one property owner installs a billboard or plants trees that block these angles, which interferes with the normal energy generation for a solar panel system, then a solar easement may stipulate what kind of compensation that merits for the blockage.

It is a curious thing to think about protecting your rights to the angles of sunlight. No matter whether you purchase a residential or commercial property, it may be useful to keep an eye out for these solar easements in contracts as solar panels become more ubiquitous in Florida.