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Search Overview

Use Paces's search to identify potential sites

K
Written by Krista Van Giesen
Updated over 3 months ago

When to Use Paces's Search

Search is a powerful tool for identifying potential sites that meet a variety of criteria, such as overall site size, environmental restrictions, distance to the electrical grid. Search can be used for originating multiple project types, including:

  • Distributed Generation ground mount solar, rooftop solar, and BESS

  • Transmission/Utility Scale solar, BESS, and wind

  • Data Centers

Getting Started

  1. Navigate to the green rectangle labeled “Search” in the header.

  2. A pop-up will appear with two options. Choose between:

    1. Use Prefilled Search: Best when adjusting one or two parameters from a previous search.

      1. Example: Changing the grid distance from 0.5 miles to 1 mile, or adding an additional dataset.

    2. Start a New Blank Search: Best if you are beginning origination for a new project type or initiating siting in a new state/region.

Using Prefilled Searches

  1. After choosing Prefilled Search, select the search name you’d like to reuse from the list.

  2. The system will bring you to Step 1, but all fields steps 1-10 will be filled identically to the previous search.

  3. Navigate directly to the step you want to update, make your edits, and then go to Step 10 (Summary).

  4. Click Run to execute your search.

    1. ⚠️ Make sure your search has a unique name. Duplicate names will trigger an error.

Starting a New Blank Search

When beginning a new search, you’ll work through 10 steps:

Step 1: Site Type

  1. Name your search and choose a site type:

    • Transmission – for large utility-scale projects or data centers.

    • Distribution – for smaller ground mount solar or BESS projects.

    • Rooftop – for rooftop-mounted solar.

    Note: This selection impacts later criteria, including environmental and grid preferences.

  2. Optional: Enable Multi-Parcel, which groups adjacent parcels under the same owner.

  3. Define your parcel size range (or rooftop size, if applicable).

  4. Choose the state (mandatory; only one state per search). Counties are optional.

Step 2: Environmental Criteria

Step 3: Grid Preferences

  1. Options vary by site type:

    • Distribution/Rooftop: Three-phase lines, substations, and distribution details.

    • Transmission: Transmission line data.

  2. For all search types, configure distance-to-grid, queue data, and maximum capacity settings.

Step 4: Utility Service Territories

  1. Choose to include or exclude certain utility service overlays

Step 5: Ownership Filter

  1. Target specific owners by toggling Owner Name Filter on.

  2. By default, Exclude Owner Types is toggled on and certain categories are excluded (e.g., public entities, religious institutions, schools, public infrastructure, country clubs). To include these, uncheck the relevant categories.

Step 6: Finance & Benefits

  1. Enable this if you’re looking to qualify for energy community tax credits.

  2. These are default toggled off.

Step 7: Other Grid Infrastructure

  1. Add additional infrastructure requirements like distance to:

    1. Fiber optic

    2. Natural gas

  2. This step is default toggled off.

Step 8: Custom Datasets

  1. Add one or more datasets if there are additional items you'd like to take into consideration. You can choose to:

    1. Include dataset (parcels must overlap with dataset)

    2. Exclude dataset (parcels cannot overlap with dataset)

    3. Away (buffer radius around a dataset)

    4. Near (include radius around a dataset)

  2. Note: Adding multiple datasets works on AND logic (all must be true).

Step 9: Custom Drawings

  1. Similar to Step 8, but upload and filter based on your own drawings from the Paces Map.

  2. Note: Adding multiple custom drawings works on AND logic (all must be true).

Step 10: Summary

  1. Review all your criteria.

  2. When ready, click Start Search.

Monitoring Search Progress

You can track the progress of your search via the Paces admin and Email Notifications.

The Paces Admin:

  1. Once started, your search name will appear in the navigation panel on the left under "Search Results" with a “running” symbol.

  2. If you click into the search, a yellow banner will also display the search progress.

Email Notifications: Email notifications will be sent to the user who requested the search

  1. First Email: Initial site list complete (parcels only, no grid info).

  2. Second Email: Insights ready (includes grid distances, utility info, filtering options).

⚠️ Wait for the second email before reviewing results. This ensures all insights and filtering options are available.

Troubleshooting

Search Too Broad

  • You’ll receive an error email and see a banner stating the search was truncated.

  • We recommend narrowing your criteria:

    • Reduce environmental range.

    • Adjust parcel size ranges (e.g., 1–1,000 acres instead of 1–5,000).

    • Limit search by county.

Search Too Narrow (Zero Results)

  • If there’s no error but results = 0, your criteria were too restrictive.

  • Solution:

    • Use Prefilled Search to reopen and adjust.

    • Relax environmental or grid restrictions.

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