Ground mounted solar

CVE works with landowners to develop ground mounted PV installations

What is ground mounted solar power ?

Ground mounted solar farms consist of series of solar panels installed above the ground across large areas. They are built by placing several poles in the ground, and installing a racking system on top to hold the panels.
Instead of directly providing power to a local end-user like for a residential rooftop, solar farms provide power to the electric grid and are part of the utility’s energy mix.
There are different types of ground mounted PV projects, like community solar farms and utility-scale solar farms. As of June 2021, all of CVE’s PV installations in the United States are ground-mounted. All of these installations are community solar farms and benefit local communities through a solar crediting system.

CVE ground mounted solar solution

CVE works hand in hand with agricultural landowners to develop ground mounted PV installations that respect the environment and benefit communities. Our experienced solar site originators work to identify land parcels suitable for solar. They then work with landowners to build a trusting relationship and negociate land lease or outright purchase terms that are beneficial for all parties. Landowners benefit from a reliable source of revenue from a long-term lease or land purchase without having to bear any cost, as all expenses related to the construction, operation and maintenance of each installation are borne by CVE. We build strong long-term partnerships with our construction subcontractors and are responsible for operating and maintaining the installations for the long term.

Developing solar while respecting the environment and communities

As construction of our solar power plants approache completion, CVE implements a landscaping plan to ensure the creation of state-certified pollinator friendly habitats at each site.

Land is selected by taking into consideration respect of the natural environment and of neighboring communities. CVE is in charge of the entire permitting process, from compliance with local bylaws to the respect of wetland protection regulation, so that our solar farms can harmoniously blend in with the natural landscape. We work hand in hand with landowners to minimize impacts during construction and are required to remove panels at the end of the project’s life. CVE is implementing pollinator friendly seed plantings at all our sites with the goal of creating state certified pollinator friendly habitat at all our power plants.

CVE engages in early conversations with town representatives and participates in town meetings to address the concerns and questions of the community. We employ a variety of screening techniques around our solar arrays to limit potential visual impacts and we give priority to local households to subscribe to our community solar program, allowing them to save money from locally produced clean energy.