Solar Lease Payments and Royalties in North Carolina

Utility-scale solar plants by county in North Carolina

Northampton County, Bladen County and Nash County have the most utility-scale solar capacity in North Carolina, with 362.8 MW (AC), 331.6 MW (AC) and 300.2 MW (AC).^[1]

Utility-scale solar plants in North Carolina came online between 2008 and 2025.^[1]

The table lists the 60 counties with at least 20 MW (AC) in total, each with its own page.^[1] Counties with less than 20 MW (AC) in total: Hoke County (19.7 MW), Orange County (18 MW), Caswell County (17.9 MW), Durham County (16.4 MW), Gates County (15 MW), Caldwell County (12.1 MW), Burke County (11.8 MW), Alexander County (11 MW), Buncombe County (10.1 MW), Lincoln County (10 MW) and Pamlico County (10 MW).^[1] Also with less than 20 MW (AC) in total: Iredell County (9.9 MW), Brunswick County (9.8 MW), Davidson County (9 MW), Forsyth County (6.7 MW), Henderson County (6.5 MW), New Hanover County (2.8 MW), Hyde County (2 MW), Madison County (1.9 MW), Mecklenburg County (1.9 MW) and Haywood County (1.5 MW).^[1]

Source: U.S. Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database (USGS, LBNL), version 4.0, released April 14, 2026. Data compiled November 1, 2026.

How solar leases pay

Federal guidance for farmers describes solar lease payments as typically structured as a fixed annual or monthly fee per acre, or as a percentage of the energy generated by the solar panels.^[2] Rent during the operations period will likely include an inflation adjustment, which may be tied to a measure like the Consumer Price Index or set at a fixed rate.^[3] Solar lease agreements can last 20 to 30 years.^[4]

What you sell and what you keep

What Buckhead buys depends on the deal, and Buckhead tells the seller up front which interest it is offering to buy — for example, the payments for the rest of the current lease term, a term easement, or a longer-term interest. Solar rent is paid period by period, the operations period may last 20 years or more, and renewals are at the developer's option.^[3] The land can be converted back to agricultural uses at the end of the installation's operational life.^[2]

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

Selling Solar Lease Payments and Solar Royalties

Wind Royalties and Lease Payments in North Carolina

Sources

[1] U.S. Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database (version 4.0, released April 14, 2026) — U.S. Geological Survey and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (accessed November 1, 2026)

[2] Farmer's Guide to Going Solar — U.S. Department of Energy (accessed November 1, 2026)

[3] Farmland Owner's Guide to Solar Leasing — Ohio State University Extension and the National Agricultural Law Center (accessed November 1, 2026)

[4] Solar Lease Considerations for Landowners — Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (accessed November 1, 2026)