Frequent Questions

How much does it cost to install solar panels with Renewable Power Partners?
There is no cost to the property owner. The lease pays you to rent a portion of your land.

 

Will this affect my property taxes?
Yes. We are obligated in the lease to pay any additional property taxes, and we arrange for a separate tax bill for the additional charges to be sent directly to us.

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Does this affect the sale of my property?
If you sell your property, the new owner assumes any lease agreements and the income from any tenants when the new owner takes possession of the property. The additional income usually results in a higher value for your property when you sell it.

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Can the lease payment amounts change during the 20 years?
Your lease rate is guaranteed for 20 years.

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What happens at the end of the first 20 years?
After the first 20 years, the lease can be renewed by Renewable Power Partners. You are guaranteed by the agreement to receive a market rate for a solar land lease. Solar panels are designed to generate electricity for years, and once installed have a very long useful life. After 25 years, they continue to produce more than 80% of their original power output.

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Will the solar panels be visible from the road?

No. The solar panels must be hidden from view by a fence or vegetation, according to new provincial regulations enacted during the past year. We include any required landscaping as part of our installation.

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How big are the solar panels?

Ground-mount installations are about 6 feet tall where solar panels are mounted to fixed racks. New regulations require a fence or shrubs adequate to hide the panels.

 

Does solar power make a difference in air quality?

Yes. Renewables have been deployed to replace electricity from coal plants in Ontario, which used to cause smog days and caused thousands of premature deaths.

 

Do solar panels make noise?

No. The main noise is from cooling fans in the inverter, similar to a small air conditioner.

 

Are solar panels harmful to livestock or crops?

No. Solar panels are essentially computer chips mounted in a sealed glass enclosure, and wired into the power grid. There are no hazardous chemicals or emissions involved.

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Is there any radiation or health considerations that I should know about?

Solar panels are safe to have around humans and animals, and have no health effects. Solar panels are widely used around the globe. For example, in some European neighbourhoods, roughly half of the homes have rooftop solar panels installed.

 

Unlike the coal plants that Ontario has replaced with renewables, solar panels produce no emissions, are low-maintenance and essentially silent, and have no health effects.

 

Will the electricity be exported to the United States?

No. Electricity is used by the buildings connected closest to the panels. Ontario often imports electricity during sunlight hours, and sometimes exports nuclear baseload power at night.

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What kind of maintenance do the panels require?

We expect to visit each site for maintenance once or twice per year. We contact you to provide 48 hours notice for routine maintenance. 

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Will Renewable Power Partners remove the panels at the end of the lease(s)?
Our legal requirement is to completely remove the installation and restore the site; we are required to remove all equipment, concrete, wiring, utility poles or buried cable conduit, and if you want us to, we are required to remove any utility road. We are also required to restore vegetation on the site as we found it. The solar equipment has a lifetime of at least 30-40 years. Solar panels do not go “obsolete,” as they are designed to generate electricity for decades. The upkeep and maintenance cost is minimal for solar panels, as there are no moving parts. You can continue to get leasing income after the initial 20 year lease, through a new Renewable Power Partners lease at market rates set at the time of the renewal. We are legally obligated to fully decommission the site at the end of the lease(s).

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Do solar panels require regular cleaning or snow removal?

No. Solar panels normally do not need to be washed, as natural rainfall keeps the panels clean. Should cleaning ever be required, we would simply use soap and water. 

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Our solar panels are mounted on a 30 degree slope, which is steeper than a typical roof. As solar panels work they generate some heat, which causes the snow to slide off.

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Do solar panels affect my local electricity service?

No. The system must be certified by the local utility and by the Electrical Safety Authority as part of the installation. Our equipment is designed to precisely match the voltage and frequency of the local power service. If there is a local blackout, the solar panels automatically disconnect from the power grid to ensure technicians are safe when servicing the lines.

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Does leasing space for solar panels mean that my property uses solar power?
Actually, yes. The electricity will flow to the nearest customers, one of which is likely to be your existing power connection. You continue to pay your hydro bill as before, but instead of using power from a distant power plant, your electricity is produced locally by solar panels.

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Can a solar tenant block the sale of my property?
No. For example, a tenant cannot block the sale of an apartment building, unless the owner were to give them permission to do this for some reason. Otherwise, investors would find it very difficult to buy or sell properties that are rented to tenants.

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Could Renewable Power Partners take out a mortgage on my property?
No. Similarly, if you rented a parking space to a tenant, the renter could not take out a mortgage on your building. Renewable Power Partners simply rents a small area to install solar panels on the property. You continue to own your property as before, with the added benefit of steady rental income.

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Someone I know bought solar panels, but couldn’t get them connected. Could this happen to me?
No. We only proceed with construction once we have a contract to sell power, and final cost agreement to connect to the local power utility. We only install equipment once all the required paperwork is in place. Some unscrupulous home solar installers have sold solar equipment to homeowners without first arranging a contract to sell electricity. This practice is unethical. Property owners who buy small systems without a contract are normally unfamiliar with the complex process to arrange a contract on their own, or for technical reasons may be ineligible to receive a connection contract.

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Can you install solar panels for my home or cottage?

We specialize in commercial-scale installations, ranging from 0.5 MW to 10 MW, including large commercial rooftops, and ground-mounted systems up to the size of a typical farm field. We are always happy to provide a friendly referral to a residential solar installer.

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