NYSERDA 2023 Soils Data for Renewable Energy Siting

NYSERDA 2023 Soils Data is a tabular dataset compiled from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets' 2023 Agricultural Land Classification master list. It provides soil properties and classifications to support the state's Large-Scale Renewable and NY-Sun programs by identifying highly productive agricultural soils. The dataset includes a unique identifier for linking to the NRCS SSURGO database for geographical analysis.

Use Cases

• Calculating agricultural mitigation payments for solar projects based on overlap with Mineral Soil Groups (MSG) 1-4.
• Assessing soil productivity for crop planning using columns like Corn Yield (ton/acre) and Hay Yield (ton/acre).
• Determining land capability and constraints for energy project siting via Capability Class (FM5 CAP) and Drainage fields.
• Linking soil types to spatial maps for geographic analysis using the MUKEY identifier with external SSURGO data.
• Evaluating soil characteristics like Texture, Soil Slope, and Flooding to inform site selection and environmental impact.

Strengths

• Derived from the official 2023 New York State Agricultural Land Classification master list, providing authoritative soil classifications.
• Designed for a specific regulatory purpose, ensuring relevance for renewable energy siting and agricultural mitigation in New York.
• Includes a linking identifier (MUKEY) to connect tabular soil data with the detailed spatial SSURGO database.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and license are consistently unreported across all platform sources.
• The dataset explicitly states it is not intended to represent actual in-situ soil conditions, limiting its use for precise on-site assessment.
• The last updated date conflicts between sources, with one showing 2026-04-04 and another 2026-03-30, creating uncertainty about the most recent version.

Provenance

Source

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) SSURGO database.

Collection Method

Converted from the 2023 New York State Agricultural Land Classification master list to a tabular form with added linking identifiers.

Time Range

2023

Freshness

2026-04-04 23:06:42.537703

Geography

New York State, United States.