Author: Mihai Manciu, Business Development Manager MIRA Renewables

In theory, site selection for a PV park seems straightforward. You’ve got maps, cadastral data, satellite images, grid databases and urban plans. But as advanced as the tools are, the reality doesn’t start until you get out of the car, after the first step in the dust.

We experienced this on a seemingly mundane day of scouting, when we were convinced that we would quickly solve at least one site out of the four on the list. On paper, they all seemed ideal – terraced, favorably exposed, with decent access and power lines nearby. The objective was clear: to identify a site that could be secured immediately, paving the way for the development phase of our renewable energy projects.

We arrived in the area early in the morning. We parked next to an unpaved farm road and set off on foot. The landscape looked promising: a wide, south-west-facing plateau, two access roads and a power line visible on the horizon. The kind of photo that looks great in a PowerPoint presentation. But Google Maps doesn’t show you the dry soil, full of deep machine tracks – a sign that it had been recently worked.

The first piece of land seemed simple: clear land register, single owner. But in reality it was leased to an agricultural cooperative with a contract registered with APIA. The local farmer showed us the documents and explained that he had the right to use the land for another 4 years. We immediately noted: unavailable for the medium term.

We then moved on to a 7 hectare plot, apparently abandoned, a gently sloping area with tall grass and no obvious signs of farming. The owner, an elderly lady, openly told us that she doesn’t work it any more, but receives a maintenance subsidy from APIA. When we asked about irrigation, the discussion got complicated: she had applied for a program two years ago, they had come to measure, but nothing had been done. She wasn’t sure whether or not the land had been included in the ANIF infrastructure. She gave us an old file, promising to look for other documents. It was not a firm “no”, but not a clear “yes” either – there was work to be done.

The third stop seemed to be the jackpot of the day: an extravilan, compact, perfectly flat land, with a medium-voltage power line a few dozen meters away. Everything seemed fine until I got in touch with the commune’s mayor and found out that the whole area was included in an irrigation project submitted to ANIF, with contracts already signed by several owners. The land was to be crossed by canals and technical roads, an infrastructure that would have made it impossible to install the panels. The cadastral plan showed nothing – but in reality the project was already well advanced. It was a clear example that essential information does not always appear in documents or on maps, but can only be obtained through direct field checks and dialog with local authorities.

At the end of the day, we left with dust on our boots, a list of questions for APIA and the Agricultural Department, three fields cleared and one requiring further investigation. No signed contracts, no firm promises. But that’s the reality of scouting work, the reality that makes the difference between a project stuck in the approvals and one ready for development.

Field scouting is not about ticking locations on a map, it’s about talking to people. Asking, listening, checking. Because the most important risks are not the ones you can see from the satellite, but the ones hidden in the legal relationships, in the local plans, in the story of each piece of land and the people who know it best.

Article written together with Mihai Manciu, Business Development Manager at MIRA Renewables, for Energynomics – part of the series dedicated to best practices in the development of renewable energy projects in Romania. The  “Quality RES Project”  is aimed at all those who want to better understand how sustainable projects are built – from the perspective of those who take on not only financial investment, but also the responsibility of working to sound professional standards, with respect for their partners and a genuine interest in educating the market. The common objective is to highlight good practices that can become the norm in a rapidly transforming market.