Effective solar site selection hinges on clear zoning insights. Zoning Data allows solar developers to understand local zoning regulations and, consequently — identify viable sites early in the process, avoid costly delays in the site selection process, and streamline project development. Unfortunately, integrated and accessible Zoning Data is a crucial piece that’s often missing from the traditional site selection tools. 

That is not the case of PVcase Prospect. In response to the growing demand for such information and its absence in conventional site selection software, PVcase’s team has introduced Zoning Data as a new layer.

Curious to learn more? Continue reading to uncover the significance of Zoning Data for successful renewable energy site selection. Learn how you can harness advanced land assessment tools like PVcase Prospect to make informed land-use decisions and maximize  your project’s development potential through clear zoning insights.

What is Zoning Data, and why does it matter?

Zoning Data encompasses the information used by local governments to classify land use. This includes zoning classifications, boundaries, and regulations dictating permissible development activities. Renewable energy developers can evaluate project feasibility using Zoning Data by identifying the types of land available in a specific area, such as agricultural, commercial, industrial, or residential.

Zoning Data is a significant feature for solar developers that enables them to choose a project with favorable zoning, therefore boosting project development, reducing costs, and improving project viability. 

In contrast, as many conventional tools lack Zoning Data in their offerings, users spend time performing the research manually and experience a bumpy ride: significant project delays, expensive redesigns, or worst — project cancellations.

How does Zoning Data help renewable energy site selection?

The key benefit of Zoning Data is its usefulness in choosing optimal locations for renewable energy projects and ensuring that these projects comply with local regulations. Let’s explore how Zoning Data helps site selection:

1. Identification of unsuitable parcels: Zoning Data enables developers to quickly identify and exclude parcels with restrictive zoning regulations and, therefore – save time and resources.
2. Early insights into zoning challenges: early access to zoning information allows developers to anticipate potential zoning challenges and requirements in the starting phases of the site selection process, facilitating proactive project planning.
3. Better project planning: understanding the zone code, name, type, and subtype helps project planners grasp the land use designation.
4. Data integration: robust site selection involves geospatial analysis, infrastructure data, and zoning insights from multiple sources to make data-driven decisions that optimize site selection.
5. Automation: integrated Zoning Data allows developers to assess zoning classifications and boundaries alongside other crucial site data. This factor eliminates the need for manual research across multiple websites and PDF maps.

Who needs to consider Zoning Data?

Zoning Data is essential for renewable energy developers, site selection analysts, and project managers who evaluate potential solar and wind farm sites. Whether you’re developing large-scale solar farms or community wind projects, having access to accurate and integrated Zoning Data is crucial for successful project development, as it allows weeding out unsuitable parcels early on in the project. 

How can PVcase Prospect help?

PVcase Prospect offers integrated Zoning Data directly within the platform and provides critical land use information. Zoning Data is available as a layer within the layer catalog and provides four data points (zone code, name, type, subtype) with varying coverage depending on location. 

With this comprehensive feature, developers save valuable time previously spent manually researching and interpreting zoning regulations. Thanks to the PVcase Prospect’s dynamic update, this major pain point in renewable energy project development is now a thing of the past.

Zoning Data is just one of the thousands of layers available within PVcase Prospect. Book a demo to explore site selection possibilities and find out how you can advance and scale your projects with a cloud-based platform that integrates public, premium, and user-specific data for smarter decision-making.

Benefits of using Zoning Data layers in renewable energy site selection

By integrating Zoning Data into your site selection process, you:

1. Save time. This new layer, in addition to an already comprehensive package, eliminates the need for time-consuming manual research across multiple websites and PDF maps — the process is now fully automated.
2. Improve site selection. Zoning Data allows you to identify and exclude unsuitable parcels based on zoning restrictions so you can weed out unfit sites early on in the process.
3. Refine project planning. Renewable energy developers gain early insights into potential zoning challenges and requirements.
4. Integrate data. You get crucial zoning information directly within your existing workflow, alongside further essential environmental, energy infrastructure, hydrography, and other site data.
5. Reduce project risk. With Zoning Data, users can make confident decisions and minimize the likelihood of zoning-related delays or complications.

See it in action

Renewable energy developers, site selection analysts, and project managers, responsible for evaluating potential solar and wind farm sites can now incorporate accurate Zoning Data into site assessments. This new layer saves time, reduces project risk, ensures project compliance. Project stakeholders can seamlessly transition from a cumbersome manual process to an efficient, fully automated one.

Interested? There’s more to discover. Book a PVcase Prospect demo and get an in-depth walkthrough of the Zoning Data layer and other additions to the PVcase platform.