How do I evaluate my land for a solar lease or data center opportunity?

1. Identify the proposed use and who made the offer. Ask if the document is an option, lease, sale or other deal. Get the proposed terms.
2. Gather the deed, parcel records, any survey, leases and easements (legal rights to use someone else's land). Ask an ownership or legal expert what rights and limits need review.
3. List the developer's needs: usable land, access, project life, power, water and off-site infrastructure.
4. Check grid maps, water readings, flood hazards and other site limits. Note dates and open questions.
5. Ask the serving utility, local government and water or environmental agencies for project-specific answers.
6. Have independent local counsel review the terms before signing. Ask an appraiser or other expert about value or payment.

These are questions, not rules for every project. Solar power sent to the grid and data center power service are different utility decisions. DOE explains the process; it does not certify power for a specific data center.

LandownerIntel's current report focuses on data centers. It does not estimate solar output, usable solar acreage or a solar lease rate. Its sourced questions can help start a discussion, but do not replace solar-specific review.

Ask the utility about its review process, where it could serve the project, possible upgrades, costs, duties and timing. A mapped substation, line or voltage is only screening context. Nearby does not mean approved to connect.

Ask the developer for its design and water needs. Ask the supplier and regulator about service, water-use permits, water rights, drought limits and wastewater duties. Streamflow and drought readings do not answer legal or supply questions.

Write down what was confirmed and by whom. A developer's estimate is not a utility promise or permit.

State law, project design and the final wording affect these terms. This guide is for education, not legal advice or a promise about how a clause will work. The data center contract checklist has more questions for counsel.

• What land and off-site rights does the document cover, including access and easements?
• When do payments start, what conditions apply, and what if the project does not go ahead?
• Who pays for surveys, studies, upgrades, taxes and ongoing duties?
• Can the developer transfer the agreement? How would that affect your protections?
• What restoration, removal, insurance and financial safeguards apply?
• Which end dates, deadlines and ongoing duties should local counsel review?

A screening report groups facts and open questions, so you need not rely only on the developer's account. Check source dates and the matched location. See whether each item is an observation, map record or the report's interpretation.

LandownerIntel sells one-time PDFs for $19, $29 and $39 with grid, water and climate context. The report cannot approve your property, judge an offer as fair or predict actual project effects. Share it with qualified advisers; it does not replace them.