Tri-County EMC To Participate In Solar Project

Tri-County EMC will soon receive energy from one of the largest solar energy projects in Georgia.Tri-County is one of 27 Georgia electric cooperatives that will purchase the output of the planned project for a 25-year period through Green Power EMC, the renewable energy supplier for 38 of Georgia’s EMCs.

The ground-mounted solar array will be constructed near Hazlehurst, Ga., in Jeff Davis County, and will be one of the largest solar generating facilities in Georgia. The array will occupy approximately 135 acres—about the size of 102 football fields— and will incorporate over 87,000 solar modules. Once completed, the facility will generate more than 43,000 megawatt hours of clean, renewable electricity annually.

The project is being built by owner-operator Silicon Ranch Corporation, based in Nashville, Tn. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, and the facility will be ready to produce electricity by the end of 2015. According to C. HillBentley, CEO of Tri-County EMC, the 20 MW project will produce enough electricity to serve about 3,000 EMC households. Of that total, Tri-County EMC will own 1 percent of the solar capacity, equaling .2 MW – enough to provide power to about 30 homes. 

Bentley said the Hazlehurst project is the result of a request for proposals issued in late 2013 to add more solar energy to Green Power EMC’s portfolio. The company already purchases the output of two solar projects, a 115 kilowatt rooftop array near Athens, Ga. and a 150 kW ground-mounted array near Warner Robins, Ga. He said the Hazlehurst project will nearly double the total renewable capacity of Green Power EMC – from the current 32 MW to about 52 MW.

“The addition of one of the largest solar projects in Georgia to our power generation portfolio demonstrates our commitment to help develop the state’s renewable resources,” said Bentley. “We are excited to be a part of this major expansion of solar energy in Georgia.”

Silicon Ranch Corporation is a top 15 solar owner-operator in the U.S. and provides customized solar solutions based on the needs of its customers. Silicon Ranch also owns and operates Georgia’s largest solar farm in Social Circle, Ga, pictured below.

To learn more about this and other projects from Green Power EMC, visit www.greenpoweremc.com

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