Can your agricultural land be used for a solar farm development? What would the implications be?

The Queensland Government has recently begun the community engagement stage of preparing the Solar Farm Guidelines, which it hopes to finalise in the second half of 2018.

With 16 large-scale solar farms already under construction across the State and more than 40 potential projects in the pipeline, it appears the solar farm industry in regional Queensland is about to explode.

The development of solar farms on agricultural land is a new way for landowners to diversify their income stream. However, you need expert legal and taxation advice before entering into any arrangement with a solar farm provider.

Not all land is created equal; only some land is zoned to allow this use. Where zoning does allow solar farms, you need to consider of the following issues.