Solar Farm

[AlbertaFarmer5]

And if the company goes bankrupt, you get stuck with the commercial rate property tax bill. Until the last piece of infrastructure is removed at your expense.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Does Saskatchewan have the equivalent of the farmers advocate which we have in alberta? They are a wealth of information on this topic.

[jazz]

This is a French company Neoen Renewables with Brookfield as a shareholder so probably not a fly by night company.

Accountant said this is rental of a personally held asset so no corporate lease rates apply. Personal lease prices income taxed at marginal personal rates.

parents said just sell the land to them with the 30yr lease pmts added on and be done with it. CG is going to less tax in the long run than rent.

[oldjim]

Two thoughts on this:

1. No
2. Hell no.

[jazz]

Two thoughts on this:

1. No
2. Hell no.

That’s great but what is your reasoning?

[AlbertaFarmer5]

That’s great but what is your reasoning?

If for no other reason, I have integrity and wouldn't want to be a hypocrite after everything that has been said about solar. But I also recognized that money talks.

[oldjim]

That’s great but what is your reasoning?

Well on a personal level I'm your neighbour and don't really care to have solar panels or windmills in the area. On a business level tying up land in such a long term deal doesn't make much sense. What looks like big money today could be chump change in five years let alone over the long term. Land prices have went up 40-50% in the past three years around here. Who is going to buy it from you should you decide you want to (or have to) sell. In that respect windmills are a better option because at least most of it still remains farmland - similar to having oil wells. Solar panels could end up as fields of weeds - who maintains it? And will it be looked after long term? Or will it end up like abandoned oil and gas wells? I can't see myself ever agreeing to something like that but to each his own.

Edit - here's a sample of what's going on down south: [url]https://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/threads/farmland-cash-rent-prices-solar.1763876/[/url]

[sumdumguy]

Do you get all the power you can use free forever - or however long it takes them to decommission those panels?

[ajl]

Take a look at the downtown of any town or city. What happens to those old buildings. They just sit there until the town condemns them and takes the property in order to clean them up if they are condemned. Same happens to old solar farms. Clean ups on you. Tried to tell that to a buddy who has some on his land. Why don't those solar developers buy land for solar farms?

[Hamloc]

Take a look at the downtown of any town or city. What happens to those old buildings. They just sit there until the town condemns them and takes the property in order to clean them up if they are condemned. Same happens to old solar farms. Clean ups on you. Tried to tell that to a buddy who has some on his land. Why don't those solar developers buy land for solar farms?

Certainly the question of the day “why don’t those solar developers buy land for solar farms”? Quoted rates by Jazz would certainly make land payments. Is it because they are almost always foreign owned companies?

[jazz]

Well on a personal level I'm your neighbour and don't really care to have solar panels or windmills in the area.]

That’s a little bit hypocritical don’t you think?

In the last year, my neighbour negotiated a natural gas generating station a mile down the road from my place. My other neighbours negotiated a 3 phase high line a half mile down the road from me. My other neighbor put up four 50,000 bushel bins a quarter mile from my property. My other neighbor decided to spray by plane the other day dive bombing over my yard.

And none of them bothered to ask me what I think.

Its always weird that the guys who rent up all the land whispering in widows ears all winter long are the same guys who don’t want anyone to do anything unconventional on their own land.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Certainly the question of the day “why don’t those solar developers buy land for solar farms”? Quoted rates by Jazz would certainly make land payments. Is it because they are almost always foreign owned companies?

Or does it have more to do with not wanting the long-term liability?