Solid Interconnect, Shrinking Land: What a 100 MW Project Could Look Like with Smarter Solar Design

Challenge

A high-stakes solar project on the line

A developer in the Southeast was closing in on a 100 MWac build with a valuable interconnection and hyperscaler offtake agreement. Then came the updated wetlands delineation—wiping out more than half their usable land and fracturing the previously contiguous site into small buildable sub-parcels. With millions already invested in permitting, environmental studies, and interconnection, the developer faced a tough choice: walk away and take a loss, or find a way to make the land work.

Familiar risks

Reduced buildable land: New environmental designations can dramatically reduce usable acreage.

Non-negotiable MW targets: Offtake agreements and interconnection timelines often leave no room to scale down.

No room to expand: Permitting limits and local resistance can block access to nearby parcels.

Tight timelines: Compressed schedules leave little margin for redesign or delay.

Solution

Maximize every acre with smarter solar design‍

To model a viable path forward, Planted Solar designed a site layout using the same tools and principles we apply in the field every day—making the most of what is available without compromising output, budget, or schedule.

• Compact, high-density racking enabled 2x more energy per buildable acre, making the reduced site viable without sacrificing output.
• Strategic site utilization focused MW generation on the largest, most buildable parcels near the interconnect, minimizing trenching and cabling.
• Lower-profile arrays (just 3.5 feet tall vs. conventional 10 feet) helped reduce visual impact, simplify permitting, and improve community buy-in.
• Rapid installation paired with a streamlined design to maintain speed without adding risk in the field.
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Result

A fully viable project—on time and on budget
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With smart design and efficient execution, developers facing similar challenges can still deliver full capacity, protect their investment, and avoid costly delays.

• MW targets stay in reach with high-density layouts that use land more efficiently
• Sunk costs are protected by adapting the site rather than expanding or restarting
• Permitting gets easier when lower-profile systems reduce visibility and impact
• Costs come down by minimizing cabling, trenching, and material needs
• Timelines stay intact with automated installations that reduce field uncertainty

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These pressures, parameters, and performance gains are pulled straight from the field. With Planted Solar’s high-density, terrain-following deployment, developers can turn constrained sites into efficient, resilient, and profitable solar assets.