Reading where more and more solar farms are in trouble and attached are a few videos of those I read about. Also I noted in my area west of Houston, that more and more solar farms are looking they are in a state of disrepair, broken panels overgrown vegetation etc. If they go bankrupt as seems to be the trends who pays to remove.

Pretty sure thats going to fall on the property owners. And is the reason the lease rates were so attractive.

Hopefully those leases required some sort of bond for remediation. I know a guy who leased some ground for a battery storage facility and it was included in the lease.

The most moronic misuse of land in history.

Hey, I got a great idea.

Lets bulldoze and burn trees, and replace green space with concrete, steel, glass, and heavy metals.

And we're doing it for...


the environment.

cslifer said:

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Hopefully those leases required some sort of bond for remediation. I know a guy who leased some ground for a battery storage facility and it was included in the lease.

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There's been a law in TX since 2021 requiring owners of the facilities to cover decommission costs.

Late morning today the state grid was running on 45% solar power. It's not some flash in the pan gimmick that's going away. Wind and solar will continue to grow. The big question to me is will nat gas turbines continue to be the swing capacity to fill in the gaps. While battery banks have made impressive strides, I don't think they'll push out nat gas significantly.

Post a screenshot of the ERCOT site with those numbers please.

I see 32% now. It was 45% earlier?

So 31% of our current energy generation is from reliable sources?

Fortunately our NG capacity is almost as large as wind and sun combined.

Solar and wind make what they make. The wind blows and the sun shines when and to what degree it will, we don't control that. Natural gas turbines start and stop easily, so they are used to cover the gaps. If solar and wind go to 0, the lights don't turn off. The other sources ramp up.

Pursuant to the statute, the financial obligation to remove and restore is not required until the earlier of the 20th anniversary of the operations date or termination of the agreement. The restoration and removal analysis has to be done on the 10th anniversary, but no financial obligation is required until 20th. It's very important to have an attorney who has experience in these agreements review them.

There are real solar and wind projects out there that have a role, but there was a lot of solar leasing done in response to specific tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act that have little to no chance of being built. I've killed just as many solar agreements as the ones I've completed. We will see more wind farms built, particularly along the coast.


There are some very large natural gas generation projects in the works. Legislation was passed last session that provides subsidized financing. A key benefit for renewables expired and was not extended in December 2022.

The last time I was approached to lease I let the process move far enough along to get a copy of the full lease agreement in hand and start a first pass at red-lining it.

30 year deal, with an option for 10 more years
They claimed they would pay all decommissioning and would set aside an escrow account to cover those costs. HOWEVER they weren't going to begin funding that escrow UNTIL YEAR 15!!!

I quit reading right there. That was the ultimate deal killer. I wasn't worried about them going bankrupt in years 15-30. Heck I figured, truth be told without major changes in legislation if they made it to year 5 it would be ok. I was worried about them going belly up in year 1 or 2. When I asked what happens if something were to go sideways before that escrow account were fully funded I got a dismissive answer about State law.

This was on top of other glaring issues and I ultimately just dropped the whole thing and truth be told I don't know who ghosted who because I quit reading and they never contacted me again.

rancher1953 said:

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Complete List of Recent Bankruptcies


https://www.solarinsure.com/the-complete-list-of-solar-bankruptcies-and-business-closures

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I'm no expert but I did quite a bit of research a couple years ago when a neighbor's ranch next to mine was under a 4 year preliminary lease for solar development. We had the same lease offers but had always declined.

Several solar farms have been built in the last 2 years and are operating on the NE side of Houston but in our area the land was purchased by the solar developers.

It is my understanding they get a massive Federal tax credit they can then sell on the open market. This credit funds much of their costs. Other Federal grants and programs are also in play. Additionally, our local school district and county gave the developers tax abatements for years into the future and they had not been assessed roll back taxes as required by state law the last time I asked our appraisal district…. Typical government scam at many different levels.

ktownag08 said:

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cslifer said:

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Hopefully those leases required some sort of bond for remediation. I know a guy who leased some ground for a battery storage facility and it was included in the lease.

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There's been a law in TX since 2021 requiring owners of the facilities to cover decommission costs.

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Do you think that Texas law can be rescinded or significantly changed in the future by the Texas legislature?

Remember, they work for whoever pays them the most. We have learned that over the years with eminent domain reform laws.

Just like the Texas Railroad Commission does with oil Wells and you see the number of orphan Wells across the state. My understanding in this case the landowner is responsible for the well after the oil company skips town. When these solar companies skip or go out of business the same will happen.

reading this with interest, went to a buddies place out west a bit this week to help him in expanding his small but growing cattle operation….. I was surprised to see the cowfans had probably quadrupled in the surrounding horizon in the last 2 yrs…… he was telling me about the escrows accounts needed to decommission all these fans…… I will have to impart some Texags knowledge on how long these companies have to fund these escrows…… he will claim ima dumbass and dont know what Im talking about…… which on the surface is true….. however it will spur him into deeper research and a probable hiring of an attorney to steer him straight… so thanks Texags…ya'll have inspired some research going forward!

There are 26 hydro electric dams in Texas.