In places where the majority of the year sees sun almost every day, it makes sense to have a somewhat heavy reliance on solar power. If your own building does not have solar panels, you likely see them in surrounding lots and buildings.
But before you purchase a property with solar panels, you should check to see if your property or surrounding properties have a solar easement agreement in writing. But exactly what is this?
What are easements?
The FSEC Energy Research Center discusses solar easements related to properties. First and foremost, easements refer to the legal method by which one person can access the property of another. Common examples include a driveway that leads to multiple different properties.
Solar easements involve a situation in which one property owner may harvest sunlight from over another property owner’s boundary lines. Solar panels need to catch different rays of light at different angles throughout the day to keep a steady generation of power, after all.
Protection for solar panel owners
These easements help protect owners with solar panels from having to deal with plants, billboards or other installations that block the angles of the sunlight from hitting the panel. Such easements can stipulate compensation if the blockage itself cannot end up dealt with in any other way, too.
It may seem like a strange idea to have to worry about the use of sun in terms of property boundaries. However, as solar panels grow more popular in such a sunny state, it would benefit more homeowners and potential property buyers to understand the importance of solar easements to protect their power.
