Middle Tennessee Electric and Silicon Ranch Announce First Utility-Scale Solar Project Under TVA’s Expanded Generation Flexibility Program
14 May 2024 - 4:32AM
Business Wire
Silicon Ranch’s Copeland Solar Farm will be the
largest solar facility to serve a local power company under the
popular TVA program
Nashville-based Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest
independent power producers specializing in solar energy,
agrivoltaics, and carbon solutions, and Middle Tennessee Electric
(MTE), the largest electric cooperative in the Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in the United States,
today announced a landmark solar agreement under TVA’s newly
expanded Generation Flexibility Program. The two middle Tennessee
businesses have agreed to partner on the 110-megawatt (MWAC)
Copeland Solar Farm, which will be the largest solar facility to
serve a local power company (LPC) directly in the Tennessee
Valley.
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the full release here:
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[Left to Right] Chris Jones (President
and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric); Reagan Farr (Co-founder and
CEO of Silicon Ranch) (Photo: Business Wire)
On behalf of MTE, Silicon Ranch will fund, construct, own,
operate and maintain the 110 MWAC Copeland Solar Farm in Cumberland
County, Tennessee. Once construction is completed in late 2027, MTE
will receive the power and environmental attributes generated by
the facility—realizing savings on day one of operation—to benefit
the more than 750,000 Tennesseans the cooperative serves across 11
counties. As both the landowner and operator, Silicon Ranch will
remain invested in and committed to the continued success and
economic viability of Cumberland County and the surrounding
community for decades to come. Silicon Ranch is making a
significant investment to install the Copeland Solar Farm, and over
time, the project will generate millions of dollars in new tax
revenue for Cumberland County to support local infrastructure and
schools, among other community-identified priorities.
“Because we are owned by the members we serve, MTE is constantly
seeking new ways to deliver value and to meet their evolving needs
and expectations,” said Chris Jones, President and CEO of Middle
Tennessee Electric. “As part of this effort, our team worked
closely with TVA to update the Generation Flexibility Program, and
we thank TVA for its collaborative spirit to make this project and
this partnership with Silicon Ranch a reality. MTE is pleased and
grateful to partner with Silicon Ranch, a trusted local provider
that is the recognized leader in providing solar power to electric
cooperatives not just for the Tennessee Valley, but across this
country.”
“At Silicon Ranch, our number one priority is to support
stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities through the
work that we do, and this mission aligns perfectly with the ethos
of America’s electric cooperatives,” said Matt Kisber,
Co-Founder and Chairman of Silicon Ranch. “Silicon Ranch is
thrilled to expand this important work with MTE, the region’s
largest co-op and an innovative utility that embraces its
leadership role to drive the Tennessee Valley forward. We are
pleased to have this opportunity to deliver more positive impacts
at scale right here at home, and we thank Cumberland County for
welcoming us as its newest corporate citizen.”
To celebrate the milestone agreement, Silicon Ranch hosted a
signing ceremony at the company’s headquarters in downtown
Nashville with senior officials from MTE and TVA.
“TVA’s Generation Flexibility Program is extremely popular
because it helps our LPC partners use renewable energy to lower
costs and provide economic benefit to their community,” said
Justin Maierhofer, Regional Vice President at TVA. “TVA
thanks MTE and Silicon Ranch for their collaboration as we grow
renewable energy and drive meaningful investment in Cumberland
County.”
About Silicon Ranch
Founded in 2011, Silicon Ranch is a fully integrated provider of
customized solar energy, battery storage, and carbon solutions. The
company is one of the largest independent power producers in the
country, with a portfolio that includes more than five gigawatts of
solar and battery storage systems that are contracted, under
construction, or operating across the U.S. and Canada. Silicon
Ranch owns and operates every project in its portfolio and has
maintained an unrivaled track record of project execution. Silicon
Ranch has the largest wholly owned agrivoltaics portfolio in the
country under Regenerative Energy®, its nationally recognized
holistic approach to project design, construction, and land
management. This model incorporates regenerative ranching and other
regenerative land management practices to restore soil health,
promote biodiversity, and improve water quality. Silicon Ranch’s
carbon solutions platform, Clearloop, helps businesses of all sizes
reclaim their carbon footprint by commissioning new solar projects
in American communities where significant economic and
environmental benefits can be achieved. To learn more, visit
siliconranch.com and clearloop.us. Follow Silicon Ranch on
Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE)
Founded in 1936, MTE is the largest electric cooperative in the
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in
the United States, serving more than 750,000 Tennesseans via
330,000+ accounts covering nearly 2,200 square miles in 11 Middle
Tennessee counties, primarily Rutherford, Cannon, Williamson and
Wilson. Municipalities served include Murfreesboro, Franklin,
Brentwood, Smyrna, La Vergne, Lebanon and Mt. Juliet. MTE employs
520 people in six local offices and its Murfreesboro
headquarters.
MTE’s subsidiary, United Communications, is a nationally
recognized broadband company with a fiber network spanning more
than 3,800 route miles, providing high-speed internet to portions
of Bedford, Davidson, Franklin, Giles, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury,
Moore, Rutherford, Williamson, and Wilson counties.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240508699057/en/
Media: Silicon Ranch Corporation Katie
Jacobs/Quarter Horse PR siliconranch@qh-pr.com (847) 715-8624
Middle Tennessee Electric Amy Byers amybyers@mte.com (615)
494-0407 or Larry Rose larryrose@mte.com (615) 494-1506