Glossary
GIS Services for Renewable Energy
GIS (geographic information systems) tools are essential for planning successful wind, solar, and other renewable projects. However, effectively using GIS technology for renewable energy goes beyond technological know-how. In reality, it’s a multi-disciplinary endeavor that involves careful management of people, projects, and data.
Supporting Renewable Energy Projects with GIS
Professionals and organizations that specialize in GIS technology add value to developers through a variety of services, such as:
Planning areas of interest (AOI): One AOI could contain thousands of acres, some of which may not be ideal for generating renewable energy. With the help of GIS tools, technicians can identify flood hazards, substations, transmission lines, and vital environmental areas (like wetlands) without physically inspecting each acre.
Connecting dynamic project data with underlying spatial data: Obtaining land usage rights typically requires considerable on-the-ground work by land agents. Some landowners may be quick to agree to a project, while others require weeks of follow-up prior to signing (or choosing not to participate). Joining dynamic project data with underlying geographic data is key for maintaining an accurate understanding of progress.
Ensuring data quality: The adage “garbage in, garbage out” certainly applies to GIS. Underlying spatial data and ongoing project status data must be trustworthy, logically structured, and regularly joined together to avoid stale information. Verifying that geoprocessing operations work as intended is important for maintaining data quality.
Building data visualizations: Interactive maps and dashboards help developers and land professionals visualize project opportunities and roadblocks. Ongoing data management practices align with the need for fresh and reliable insights.
Delivering shapefiles, KMLs, and/or geodatabase files: Some renewable energy companies prefer to build their own visualizations but still require updated project data. In such situations, GIS professionals may be asked to share data via shapefiles, KML (Keyhole Markup Language) files, and/or geodatabase files.
Providing ad hoc support: Renewable energy projects often involve lengthy timelines and many unforeseen variables. GIS technicians may be called on to provide as-needed support, such as determining the path of least resistance for connecting to a transmission line.
Explore our GIS Services for Renewable Energy
New Era Land Services offers GIS services to support solar, wind, and battery storage projects. Contact us to discuss your needs and learn about our capabilities.
Courthouse Research for Renewable Energy
Courthouse research for renewable energy involves visiting courthouses to review land-related documentation, understand how property has changed hands over time, and identify encumbrances. Land research performed in courthouses is often summarized into run sheets and land ownership reports.
The Digital Age & Courthouse Research
Why is courthouse research still necessary in today’s era of digitized records, search engines, and artificial intelligence? Although some courthouse records are available through the Internet, many are not—especially very old records that date back to the point of granting. Such documents typically exist in hard copy format and are stored in a courthouse’s index books.
Most courthouse research activities fall into one of the following categories:
● Pulling the tax card for one or more properties
● Locating the correct index book(s)
● Checking for recorded options, mortgages, easements, and memorandums
● Scanning and saving images of documents
● Taking notes
Important Note: Memorandums—recordable documents that allude to other documents—are commonly used by energy companies. Memorandums acknowledge that an agreement exists without revealing every detail, helping avoid unnecessary attention from speculators.
Variations in Courthouse Research
Autonomy at the state and local levels lead to differences in how land records are prepared, stored, and made accessible. Such realities impact how courthouse research is performed.
For example, Indiana utilizes a township land survey system, while the neighboring state of Kentucky uses the metes and bounds method. Index books are organized by township in Indiana but not in Kentucky.
Documents are not always available at the local courthouse level. For example, Illinois and other early players in the oil and gas industry keep certain documents at the state level. In such cases, researchers may have to visit the state’s capital city to access records.
Experienced Land Pros for Courthouse Research
Looking for courthouse research support for a renewable project? Contact New Era Land Services to learn about our courthouse research capabilities.
Land Consultant
Land consultants advise project developers, interact with land agents and stakeholders, and perform a variety of other tasks to ensure successful projects. In the renewable energy sector, this may include everything from strategizing on the ideal location for a solar park to coordinating on-the-ground teams.
Land Consultants in Renewable Energy
Developing a renewable energy project from the ground up involves numerous interrelated variables, such as financial budgeting, engineering, vendor negotiations, construction, permitting, public relations, and land acquisition. Engaging a land consultant can help alleviate a project developer’s workload while providing additional expertise.
Actual responsibilities may vary depending on the specific situation, but land consultants can be especially valuable when it comes to:
Analyzing land requirements: A land consultant can help translate a project’s objectives and scope into a prioritized list of land-related requirements, such as calculating acreage requirements for a battery storage project or partnering with land technicians to identify opportunities in an area of interest (AOI).
Budgeting for land services: Unless the project developer has access to an in-house land department, contract land agents may be required to support lease acquisition. Land consultants can help estimate the number of land agents required as well as the associated cost.
Managing land agents: Land consultants also serve as project managers to mobilize land agents and ensure they’re delivering adequate results based on the original plan.
Reporting on project progress and expenses: Using CRM, project management, and mapping technology allows land agents to prepare meaningful reports for renewable energy developers. In some cases, reports may indicate the need for a strategy shift, such as when agents must be redeployed due to changes in landowner interest.
Coordinating title work and legal agreements: Promptly executing lease or purchase agreements with landowners is a key step for keeping projects on track. Land consultants work with title and legal teams to efficiently coordinate research and documentation.
Interacting with stakeholders: Not everyone will be enthusiastic about a planned solar, wind, or battery storage park. Land consultants work closely with local governments and farm organizations to gain buy-in.
Providing strategic advice: Experienced land consultants leverage their local knowledge to support clients’ decision-making. For example, sharing existing land lease rates for a region can help the project developer build a more effective negotiation strategy.
Talk to Our Land Consultants
New Era Land Services provides land consulting services for the renewable energy industry. Our goal is to deliver value throughout the entire life of the project. Contact us to discuss your next project in the lower 48 states.
Land Technician
Land technicians tend to be technically skilled professionals who use data, analytics, and geographic information systems (GIS) to support land projects. Energy sector organizations, including those involved with renewable energy, rely on land technicians to develop and implement successful plans.
Land Technicians & Project Planning
For large-scale renewable energy projects, land technicians play an essential role in determining the optimal location within an area of interest. Identifying the best location for a solar, wind, or battery storage project can involve multiple factors, including:
Project requirements: Land technicians rely on input from land consultants, who are tasked with understanding the developer’s business objectives as well as the project’s area of interest (assuming it is already defined). This information provides the land technician with a general perview for starting work.
Land topography: Undulated land within the floodplain is not the best location for a multi-million dollar solar park. Land technicians use GIS technology and other tools to develop an intimate understanding of an area’s land attributes—without inspecting every acre in person.
Proximity to substations and transmission lines: Building a substation from the ground up can be an incredibly costly endeavor. That’s why developers prefer securing land with close proximity to existing infrastructure.
Parcel ownership: An area of interest might consist of thousands of acres, dozens of parcels, and many landowners. Land technicians categorize parcels by owner to help inform strategic planning.
Logistical effort: Obtaining lease agreements from a single landowner is typically easier than gaining buy-in from five or more participants. Land technicians develop analytics to guide tactical decisions about land agent deployment and landowner engagement.
Visualizing Progress
Leveraging land technicians’ capabilities with geospatial technology can bring project data to life visually, thereby streamlining decision-making. For example, at New Era Land Services, our land technician utilizes landowner feedback from our customer relationship management (CRM) system to enable a unique project mapping experience. We use such visualizations to understand landowner sentiment and refine our deployment of on-the-ground resources.
Land Technician Support for Renewable Energy
New Era Land Services provides professional land services for renewable energy. Contact us to inquire about land technician support for projects in the lower 48 states.
Land Agent (aka “Landman”)
A land agent, also commonly referred to as a “landman,” works on behalf of a land company (or another entity) to secure leases or other agreements with landowners. Land agents support a variety of energy sector initiatives, such as obtaining battery storage land leases and the right of way for transmission lines.
Land Agents in Renewable Energy
A single utility-scale solar project could require thousands of acres of land. Before the first solar panel can be installed, a project developer must obtain the proper land usage rights from property owners. Land agents play an essential role in this process by:
Engaging landowners: Someone must pick up the phone and start a conversation with landowners in an area of interest. Landmen initiate contact with landowners, host in-person meetings, and use communication technology to follow up.
Building relationships: Agreements are not typically signed at the land agent’s initial meeting with the landowner. Rather, land contracts can be the outcome of weeks, months, or years of discussions.
Gauging landowner interest: Some landowners are immovably opposed to renewable energy projects. Others are warm to the idea but require additional information prior to signing. Landmen collect this type of feedback, which helps developers keep projects on track.
Managing negotiations: Land agreements should be a good deal for all parties. Initial offers may lead to subsequent counteroffers and different terms that must be carefully organized by the land agent.
Supporting contract execution: Land agents do not typically draft lease agreements or good neighbor agreements, but they’re regularly tasked with collecting landowners’ signatures. For this reason, many landmen are also notaries.
Serving as a point of contact: Leasing land for a solar or wind farm is not a short-term proposition. Thirty or more years is a long time, which opens the door to unexpected challenges like payment mix-ups or land use discrepancies. Land agents serve as the landowners’ primary point of contact throughout the life of the project.
Partnering with Other Land Professionals
Land agents work closely with land consultants and land technicians to ensure a project’s ultimate success. Generally speaking, land consultants interact with clients to understand projects and define land-related requirements. Land technicians use data and technology to develop actionable plans and visualizations. Landmen carry out “on-the-ground” aspects for each project plan as developed by land consultants and technicians.
Hire Landmen for Renewable Energy Projects
Need land agents for a renewable energy project? Contact New Era Land Services to staff up with qualified landmen in the lower 48 states.
Land Ownership Report
A land ownership report is a summary document that provides important information about a particular tract of land. A land ownership report is especially useful for understanding who owns a land tract’s surface and mineral rights. Land ownership reports are often prepared in tandem with run sheets, which offer detailed transactional data.
What Information Appears in a Land Ownership Report?
The contents of a land ownership report may vary depending on the specific use case and preparer. Generally speaking, however, land ownership reports commonly include:
● Where the tract of land is located
● Size of the tract / acreage
● Description of the property
● Mineral rights owner(s)
● Surface rights owner(s)
Renewable energy project developers rely on land ownership reports when evaluating tracts within an area of interest. Failing to properly understand a land tract’s ownership can be a costly mistake, especially in situations involving severed mineral rights. Installing solar panels on a thousand acre tract requires a significant capital investment, and failing to obtain the necessary surface and mineral rights puts that investment at risk.
Preparing Land Ownership Reports
Attorneys prepare land ownership reports, but hiring a land company like New Era Land Services LLC can be more economical. Local courthouse research is often required and involves pulling a land tract’s deeds, leases, easements, and related agreements. Transaction details are usually captured in a run sheet, while high-level findings are added to the land ownership report.
An ownership report prepared by a land company may need to be reviewed and signed off by an attorney. In addition, land ownership reports sometimes become part of an attorney-prepared title opinion.
Land Ownership Reports for Renewable Energy
New Era Land Services offers a variety of solutions for renewable energy project developers. We regularly prepare land ownership reports and run sheets for our clients. Browse our services to learn about our expertise.
Contact us for help with land ownership reports.
Run Sheet
When it comes to land-related matters, a run sheet is a document that explains how ownership for a tract of land has changed over time. Run sheets tend to be highly detailed and are commonly prepared in tandem with land ownership reports.
What Information Appears in a Run Sheet?
Run sheets may vary depending on the preparer but are typically organized into rows and columns. Each row represents a unique transaction, such as when a landowner sold a tract to someone else. The oldest transaction on the run sheet is usually listed first, followed by the second, and so on. The most recent transaction would be listed at the bottom of the run sheet.
Each row (transaction) in the run sheet contains multiple pieces of information (expressed as columns). For example, at New Era Land Services LLC, our run sheet template specifies a variety of transaction details, including:
Volume and page: The book and page number in which the transaction is recorded at the courthouse.
Type: Legal instrument that is being referred to, such as an easement.
Grantor and Grantee: The parties who were involved in the transaction.
Legal Description & Notes: Detailed information about the transaction.
Date: When the transaction occurred.
Run Sheets for Energy Projects
Developers seeking land for solar, wind, battery storage, or hydrocarbon energy projects rely on run sheets before entering into long-term land leases or purchase agreements. Installing solar panels on two thousand acres of land requires a significant capital investment, which underscores the importance of executing agreements with rightful landowners. However, identifying rightful landowners can be complex, especially in situations involving multiple owners, severed mineral rights, and variances in state land rights (i.e., dormant mineral rights).
“Running patent”—preparing a run sheet from a tract’s original granting through the present day—can be time-consuming and require specialized research and documentation skills. For this reason, energy developers often outsource this work to a land services company like our team at New Era Land Services.
Run Sheet Support for Renewable Energy
New Era Land Services regularly prepares run sheets for clients, including developers working on solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects. Compared to hiring an attorney, partnering with a land company can be a cost-effective way to obtain historical title information.
Contact us to discuss our run sheet capabilities and other services.
Solar Project Management
Organizations and professionals involved in solar project management oversee a variety of tasks to ensure the successful planning, construction, and operation of solar energy programs.
Managing Different Types of Solar Projects
At New Era Land Services LLC, most of the solar energy projects that we encounter fit into one of the following categories:
● Utility-size projects, such as a 2,000 acre solar park that replaces energy produced by a retiring power plant.
● Community solar projects, which allow utility customers in certain deregulated states to fund renewable energy projects.
● Solar projects for data centers, which tech companies use to qualify for tax credits and offset the environmental impact of their facilities.
What is Involved with Solar Project Management?
Project management activities depend on the type of project as well as the state in which the project is located. For example, managing a solar project in Indiana—where most energy is provided by a handful of regulated energy monopolies—could look considerably different than doing so in Ohio or Pennsylvania, which are considered deregulated states.
Generally speaking, many solar projects involve the following activities:
Location of Interest Planning & Research: Helping the developer determine the optimal location for a solar project based on potential tax credits, existing infrastructure, and other factors; Performing research at the state and county levels to ensure area accessibility.
Community Stakeholder Engagement: Gaining community buy-in by working with local leaders and residents; Partnering with emergency response teams to understand and plan for potential safety risks involving the solar project or related battery storage facilities.
Lease Acquisition: Engaging local landowners to acquire lease option agreements within the location of interest.
Moving the Project through the Queue: Entering the project into the “queue” for review by the appropriate RTO (Regional Transmission Organization) or ISO (Independent System Operator); Responding to the RTO or ISO’s studies; Taking appropriate actions, such as obtaining necessary easements.
Construction: Receiving the notice to proceed; Executing lease options with landowners; Obtaining necessary permits or additional contracts, such as neighbor agreements; Full-scale completion of the solar energy project.
Ongoing Support: Overcoming any other obstacles that might inhibit the project’s successful completion.
Project Management Support for Solar Energy
New Era Land Services provides land-related services for renewable energy projects, including solar. In addition to supporting clients’ lease acquisition and right of way needs, we can also assist with project management. Our “on-the-ground” knowledge serves as a strategic asset for busy project developers.
Contact us to discuss our solutions for solar energy projects.
Battery Storage Land Lease
At New Era Land Services LLC, we like to think of battery storage as an innovative way to store the grid’s excess energy.
As with other renewable energy projects like wind and solar, battery storage projects require dedicated land to house specialized infrastructure—in this case, battery units and related hardware. Battery storage project developers may need to lease or acquire land from private entities to procure a suitable site.
What is Battery Storage?
At New Era Land Services LLC, we like to think of battery storage as an innovative way to store the grid’s excess energy. Although frequently used in tandem with solar parks and wind farms, battery storage can also benefit traditional energy production facilities. For example, battery storage might help a coal power plant achieve a better utilization of resources by storing energy produced at night during temperate months. Proximity of the storage facility to the source is important for both traditional and renewable energy channels.
For a more detailed explanation of utility-scale energy storage, check out this helpful overview guide from The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Land-Related Considerations for Battery Storage
Generally speaking, land used for battery storage should be relatively flat and not part of a wetland. In addition, ISOs (Independent System Operators) or RTOs (Regional Transmission Organizations) set forth acreage and other land requirements for battery storage projects. For example, the Site Control Evidence Documentation Checklist from Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO)—a transmission system operator for multiple Midwestern and Southern states—requires .1 acres per MW on battery storage projects. By comparison, MISO requires 50 acres per MW on wind projects.
Although battery storage acreage requirements may be less than wind or solar, developers may still choose to work with a company like New Era Land Services to support a variety of land-related needs:
Lease (or purchase) option agreement phase: Identifying and negotiating with landowners, working to execute land lease (or purchase) option agreements, keeping landowners informed.
Pre-operating phase: Providing landowners with updated production timelines, serving as a liaison between the developer and landowner.
Operating phase: Supporting land-related needs in advance of the go-live, assisting with future lease renewals.
Land Services for Battery Storage Projects
Contact New Era Land Services for help with your next battery storage project. We also support other renewable energy projects, including wind and solar.
Renewable Energy Projects
Unlike fossil fuels that experts believe took millions of years to form, renewable energy comes from naturally replenishable sources, such as wind, sunlight, water, or other means. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that renewables accounted for approximately 21% of electricity generation in the United States in 2023.
Increased demand for solar, wind, and other renewable forms of energy has led to an uptick in renewable energy projects in the United States. Successfully completing a renewable project typically involves a variety of stakeholders, considerable planning and land, and supporting infrastructure.
Common Types of Renewable Energy Projects in the U.S.
The term “renewable” can have different meanings depending on the audience. Although geothermal, biomass, and even certain hydrogen programs could be considered renewable, at New Era Land Services we see the most activity for the following types of projects:
Solar: Photovoltaic solar panels are designed to capture energy from the sun’s rays and convert it into usable electricity. Many solar energy projects require large amounts of land (commonly referred to as “solar parks” or “solar farms”), although it’s increasingly common to see private solar installations on homes and businesses.
Wind: According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, wind accounts for the largest share of kilowatt hours from renewables—10.2% of the United States’ utility-scale electricity generation in 2023. Turbines catch the wind and turn a generator, which creates electricity that is put onto the grid.
Battery Storage: Some may quibble as to whether battery storage projects are actually “renewable.” That said, battery storage projects can play an important role in the success of other renewable programs. For example, a wind farm generates electricity whenever the wind blows—even during periods of low demand. Battery storage sites store the excess wind energy onto lithium ion batteries until demand increases, thereby making wind energy more viable for a community.
Stakeholders in a Renewable Energy Project
Multiple stakeholders may be involved with bringing a renewable energy project to fruition:
● Project developers are responsible for the overall project’s success and ultimately aim to generate income through power purchase agreements.
● Public utilities may contract with renewable energy project developers through power purchase agreements.
● ISOs and RTOs oversee renewable energy projects in the queue.
● Private entities, such as tech companies, may seek direct power generation opportunities to support environmental initiatives and/or enable tax credit opportunities.
● Landowners may be asked to lease their land in exchange for recurring payments.
● Land companies, such as our team at New Era Land Services, handle the “on the ground” aspects of renewable projects—meeting with landowners, obtaining lease agreements, and providing project management services.
Support for Renewable Energy Projects
Contact New Era Land Services for support on your next renewable energy project. Landowners may contact us through our landowner form.