Lease your land for solar in Arizona
Arizona ranks 95/100 for solar land lease — exceptional statewide suitability. Arizona is a top-tier state for this use; provider competition is strong.
Lease your Arizona land for solar — Sonoran Desert, APS / SRP / TEP grids
Arizona has world-class solar resource. Per-acre rates, top counties, and grid considerations across APS, SRP, and TEP territory.
Arizona has some of the strongest solar resource in the United States — averaging 6.5+ kWh/m²/day in the southern Sonoran Desert. Combined with vast available acreage and supportive policy from Arizona Corporation Commission, this makes Arizona one of the top US states for utility-scale solar leases.
What Arizona landowners earn
Arizona solar lease rates in 2026:
- Active utility scale corridors (Maricopa, Pinal, Yuma): $900-$1,800 per acre per year
- Western Arizona (La Paz, Mohave): $700-$1,500 per acre per year
- Eastern Arizona (Cochise, Graham): $600-$1,300 per acre per year
- Higher elevation (Coconino, Apache): $500-$1,200 per acre per year
Annual escalators of 1.5-2.5%. A 200-acre Maricopa County parcel at $1,200/ac/yr generates $240k/yr over a 30-year lease.
What makes Arizona land viable
Arizona advantages:
- Excellent solar resource across most of the southern half of the state
- Vast available acreage at relatively low base land prices
- Three utility territories — Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP), and Tucson Electric Power (TEP), each with active solar procurement
- Strong tribal land development — Navajo Nation, San Carlos Apache, Tohono O'odham have all entered solar agreements
- Bipartisan state-level support
Arizona challenges:
- USFWS habitat overlays in some Sonoran Desert areas (desert tortoise, etc.)
- State Land Department owns vast acreage that competes with private leases
- Transmission constraints in some emerging zones
Top Arizona solar counties
- Maricopa, Pinal, Yuma: highest activity; closest to APS/SRP load centers
- La Paz, Mohave: high resource, lower competition, longer transmission distance
- Cochise, Graham: TEP territory, growing market
- Yavapai, Coconino: moderate activity, higher elevation
Active Arizona developers
8minute Solar Energy, First Solar (Arizona-based; both develops and manufactures), Lightsource bp, NextEra Energy Resources, Origis Energy, Recurrent Energy, AES Clean Energy, Cypress Creek Renewables.
Next step
Run a free Landholder.com assessment — we use NREL's actual solar resource data for your parcel and identify which utility territory you're in.
Quick reference — solar land lease basics
- 1Site qualification
Developers look for 40+ contiguous acres of flat, unshaded land within ~2 miles of a 3-phase distribution line or substation.
- 2Option agreement
After initial diligence the developer signs a 1-3 year option (small annual payment) while they secure permits and an interconnection slot.
- 3Lease & construction
On option exercise, a 25-40 year ground lease begins with annual escalators (typically 1.5-2.5%). Construction takes 6-12 months.
- 4Operations
You receive cash rent annually. The developer maintains the array. At end of term, the site is decommissioned and returned.
Providers serving Arizona
10 providers in our directory serve Arizona for solar.
AES Corporation's renewable arm. Active developer of utility-scale solar and wind across the US.
Charlottesville-based wind and solar developer with 30+ GW pipeline.
National solar developer focused on utility-scale and community solar projects.
EDF's North American renewables arm. Develops, owns, and operates utility-scale wind/solar.
Privately held global renewables developer. Lease and acquire wind/solar sites at scale.
Marketplace platform connecting landowners with energy buyers across solar, wind, oil & gas, and data centers.
Global utility-scale solar developer; long-term ground leases on 100+ acre parcels.
World's largest generator of wind and solar power. Active landowner lease program across the wind belt.
Independent power producer with 12+ GW solar pipeline. Active across the Sun Belt.
FAQ — Solar land lease in Arizona
Active markets pay $700-$1,500 per acre per year, with annual escalators. A 100-acre lease in a strong market typically grosses $1M-$2M over 30 years.
Utility-scale developers prefer 40+ contiguous acres; many target 200-2,000 acres. Community solar projects can work on as little as 10-20 acres.
Steep slopes (>10°), heavy tree cover, wetlands or flood plain, lack of nearby grid capacity, or zoning that prohibits commercial use.
Typically 25-40 years, often with extensions. The land is yours throughout — the developer just leases surface use.
Free, instant assessment — across all fifteen monetization paths, not just solar.