Finding usable 200-acre solar sites in a crowded Virginia market

The challenge

A solar developer was looking for large plots of land in Virginia for utility-scale solar energy projects. Virginia has become a very competitive state, with many developers searching the same ground for suitable sites near the PJM interconnection system.

When several solar energy developers are working the same market, the constraint is not finding large parcels. It is working out quickly which of them are actually usable. Acreage on a map is not acreage you can build on once setbacks and unusable area are accounted for, and that is usually discovered late.

What they did

The developer uses Pivvot to screen potential solar parcels for development:

• Search by size and proximity 200-plus acre parcels within a reasonable distance of the PJM transmission system
• Usable area and setbacks evaluated for sites that meet the criteria on screen, early
• Options that are not suitable set aside earlier in the process so effort concentrates where a project can be built

They are able to quickly evaluate usable area and setbacks, and eliminate options that don't meet the set criteria earlier in the process.

Pivvot use story, solar energy site identification

The result

The solar energy developer finds potential sites that meet set criteria with the speed needed for a successful project.

In a market where several solar energy developers are chasing the same parcels, the advantage goes to whoever reaches a buildable site first. Clearing away what does not qualify is how they get there sooner.