Agricultural professionals with large real estate holdings may want to explore ways to diversify their income streams. The energy-intensive nature of certain agricultural operations may lead to farmers seeking to defray their energy costs.
In either scenario, the installation of renewable energy infrastructure on farmland can be an excellent investment for the owner of the property. Solar panels and wind turbines can reduce the energy costs of operating an agricultural business. They can also produce a secondary source of revenue for farmers whose income from crops or livestock may be unpredictable, at best. However, rural landowners may worry about facing opposition from their neighbors if they intend to install large-scale solar or wind energy projects.
Are property owners vulnerable to local opposition to energy-generating projects?
Landowners can use their property as they wish
With exceptions for situations where certain choices harm others, real property owners generally have the right to do anything that does not violate the zoning for the land or the law where they live. Installing wind turbines and solar panels on farmland is a relatively common practice.
Even if neighbors express dissatisfaction with a proposed project, they usually do not have legal grounds to prevent a neighbor from installing renewable energy systems on their property or taking legal action to force the removal of a completed project. There are, of course, certain exceptions.
For example, if there are nesting populations of endangered songbirds nearby, environmental reviews may be necessary to ensure that the project is unlikely to cause harm to those bird populations. Both wind turbines and solar panels can cause avian deaths.
Occasionally, if a neighbor already has wind turbines installed, they could theoretically take legal action if the installation of additional turbines downwind could reduce what their turbines produce. Generally speaking, an aversion to the appearance of wind turbines or solar panels is not an adequate reason for neighbors to take legal action against farmers who invest in renewable energy projects.
Learning more about real estate laws can be beneficial for farmers who want to optimize their use of their land and avoid controversy with their neighbors. The installation of renewable energy projects can lead to disputes, but prepared farmers can usually navigate those disputes successfully if they have appropriate support.
