A local solar-and-battery example shows why dates matter
In January 2026, New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities extended the Harmony Plains Solar I incentive-program deadline from May 23, 2027 to May 23, 2029. The order describes 95 MW of solar paired with 80 MWh of storage in Harmony Township. This is a dated decision for that project, not a forecast for another property.
For an offer involving your land, ask the developer to explain its schedule in ordinary terms. What needs to happen before work starts? What needs to happen before the project operates? Which event would start payments to you? Put those dates beside the dates in the proposed land agreement.
Ask what evidence supports each step marked complete. A permit decision, an electrical agreement and a contractor’s schedule address different parts of a project. You should be able to see which document the company relies on and which design it covers.
If an estimate changes, request a written explanation and the revised schedule. Discuss what the company can do during the additional time and what you can continue doing with the property. A long reservation can affect your choices before any equipment arrives.
Reference: New Jersey BPU: January 28, 2026 Harmony Plains Solar I deadline and contract order
Understand the reason for an access change
The order records the applicant’s account of an expanded driveway-apron requirement at a county-road intersection. The applicant said that work would involve utility relocation, environmental permits and an adjoining owner’s authorization. Those reported circumstances show why access work belongs in a land review; they do not establish the needs of your site.
Ask for a drawing of the complete route from the public road to the equipment. Include entrances, turning areas, gates, temporary work areas and anything that would move. If the developer is revising an older plan, request the old and new versions together.
Find out who owns each part of the route and which permissions are needed. A proposed road across a neighbor’s property should come with an explanation of who would obtain the rights and what happens if they cannot be secured. Do not assume your signature resolves someone else’s property rights.
Compare the access proposal with your own needs. Can you reach a barn, field or other parcel during deliveries? Would grading change your driveway or drainage? Ask who would restore damage and maintain shared surfaces after construction.
If the company seeks additional land or a permanent easement, have your adviser compare that request with the existing agreement. Identify the area, purpose, duration and responsible party. Keep the revised drawing with the terms you are being asked to accept.
Reference: New Jersey BPU: January 28, 2026 Harmony Plains Solar I deadline and contract order
Ask what the revised electrical schedule actually establishes
The January order also recounts a refreshed connection study and a later estimated utility back-feed date. It distinguishes that estimate from final testing and commercial operation. The record does not establish present operation or spare connection capacity for nearby land.
For your proposal, ask the team which electrical study or agreement it has and whether that document matches the proposed battery and solar design. Find out what work remains, who must perform it and which dates are estimates. A nearby line or substation does not answer those questions.
Ask how the company would notify you of a material change. Could a revised connection require another cable route, a larger work area or more time? Request the proposed land changes before consenting to an amendment, even if the company describes them as part of electrical work.
Have your adviser check how a connection delay affects the private agreement. Does it allow an extension, postpone payment or leave the company an exit right? Which notice is required and when? The relevant wording is in your documents, not in another project’s schedule.
Reference: New Jersey BPU: January 28, 2026 Harmony Plains Solar I deadline and contract order
Want to ask about your land?
Send the location and what you know. You don’t need a project plan.
Tell us about your landReview the plans tied to your consent
Harmony’s Land Use Board application asks about the relationship between the applicant and property owner, previous applications and material changes to earlier plans. The township’s published final site-plan checklist includes owner consent, rights-of-way, easements, off-site improvements and vehicle access.
Before giving application consent, ask for the proposal that would be filed. Identify the applicant, property, current drawing and documents referenced in the permission. Have your adviser compare the request with any option, lease, sale contract or existing solar agreement.
Ask which changes would require you to review a new plan or permission. Would a different entrance, another parcel or a larger battery area alter the agreement? Keep the dated version you considered, and request the actual filed version so the two can be compared.
The township publishes a zoning office and parcel-review resources. Ask the project team to confirm the actual review route for your property with the relevant offices. An application form is not evidence that a particular use has permission, and another project’s incentive decision does not supply your local approvals.
Reference: Harmony Township: Land Use Board application and instructions, revised April 2025 · Harmony Township: published final site-plan checklist, 2026 download · Harmony Township: zoning office and parcel-review resources
| Document to request | Question for the owner to resolve |
|---|---|
| Updated project schedule | Which dates changed, and which remain estimates? |
| Current site and access plan | What additional land or rights are requested? |
| Application consent | Which proposal am I authorizing? |
| Proposed amendment | What changes to payments, duration or release? |
| Remaining-step list | Who is responsible, and how will I receive updates? |
Keep an incentive extension separate from your agreement
The BPU decision grants program relief to the named project. If a developer cites that kind of decision when asking you for more time, request the decision and its explanation of what it covers. Then review the actual extension clause or proposed amendment affecting your property.
Ask whether the request is a right the company already holds or a change that requires your consent. Have your adviser check notice dates, extension payments and the final end of the reservation. Do not rely on a conversation to establish what the company must pay or when your land becomes available again.
Discuss what you give up during the extra time. Can you renew a farm tenancy, sell the property, make improvements or pursue another use? Ask the company to identify restrictions that would remain in force and any work it expects to carry out before construction.
Consider what happens if the revised schedule is missed. Would there be another extension request? Which rights or recorded documents would need to be released when the arrangement ends? Ask how unfinished studies, site work and damage would be handled.
Keep payment and responsibility questions together. Who pays for studies, applications, access work, taxes and eventual removal? Which company signs those obligations? If the project or agreement can be transferred, ask what protections and notice would continue after the transfer.
If solar and batteries share the site, review both uses
Ask the developer to show the solar area, battery area and shared infrastructure separately. Include roads, cables, drainage and construction staging. You need to understand the complete land request even if batteries occupy a small part of it.
If you already have a solar agreement, collect the signed documents and boundary exhibits. Have your adviser check whether batteries, additional access and the proposed company are covered. The answer depends on the written rights rather than the label used for the project.
Discuss what happens if the two parts begin operating or end at different times. Would shared roads or cables stay when one part is removed? Who would maintain them? Would your payment change? Request terms and a restoration plan that address the arrangement actually proposed.
Ask the company to describe the land’s condition after removal. Discuss surfaces, foundations, buried services and features that would remain. Identify who pays and how that obligation is supported if an operator changes or cannot complete the work. Compare the answer with the future use you want for the land.
Tell us about your Harmony Township property
Start with your name, email and phone number, then provide the property location or block and lot if known. Add whether there is an existing solar use, a proposed battery project or an offer you would like to discuss. You can contact Sunland without a completed design or permit package.
If the issue is an extension, tell us what the company is asking to change and the stage the proposal has reached. If the issue is land access, describe the route or area involved. A brief account is enough to begin a conversation.
An inquiry does not commit you to a lease or sale or authorize a permit application. Any opportunity depends on the actual property, electrical connection, approvals, rights and commercial terms. Sunland can follow up about the records and questions relevant to the proposal.
Questions landowners ask
Does a project’s incentive extension extend my land option too?
Have your adviser check the private option and any proposed amendment. A program decision and your land agreement are separate documents; the actual extension rights and payment obligations must be reviewed.
Does an estimated connection date mean the project will be operating then?
Ask which event the date describes and what work follows. Connection work, testing and commercial operation can be separate steps.
What if the developer needs access across my neighbor’s land?
Ask who would obtain those rights and what happens if permission cannot be secured. Request the complete route and compare any proposed changes affecting your land with your agreement.
Do I need an existing project to ask Sunland about my property?
No. Send your contact details and location, and tell us whether you are considering a new use or a change to an existing proposal.
Sources & further reading
Sources checked 2026-10-06. Local rules and program details can change. Check the requirements for the actual project.