Georgia Magazine - May 2021 - 14

Currents

News from Georgia's electric co-ops * Compiled by Amy Schneider

Green Power EMC, Silicon Ranch complete
200-megawatt solar portfolio

Hazlehurst III in Jeﬀ Davis County is a 40-megawatt facility.

cooperatives have been able to take advantage of economies
of scale, resulting in lower-cost solar power-savings that are
passed on to their members.
The first site, known as Hazlehurst III, came online in
December 2019 and is a 40-megawatt facility in Jeff Davis
County. In August, Silicon Ranch commissioned the second
site, the 74-megawatt Terrell Solar Farm in Terrell County. In
December, the partners commissioned the final site in the
portfolio, Snipesville I, an 86-megawatt facility in Jeff Davis
County.
" I am proud that Georgia's EMCs are first in the nation
among co-ops for installed solar capacity, " Public Service
Commissioner Tim Echols said. " In fact, by 2022, they will be
on target to complete more than one-third of the total solar
capacity planned by co-ops in the entire U.S. "

COURTESY GREEN POWER EMC

reen Power Electric Membership Corp. (EMC) in
Tucker and Nashville, Tenn.-based Silicon Ranch,
one of the nation's largest independent solarpower producers, recently announced the completion of a
200-megawatt solar portfolio that comprises three utilityscale projects in South Georgia.
The total capacity is distributed across Jeff Davis and
Terrell counties and provides enough low-cost, renewable
energy to serve more than 35,000 EMC households. As a
clean energy source, the solar portfolio's environmental offset is equivalent to more than 350,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said that the commissioning of
this solar portfolio demonstrates the continued dedication of
Georgia's cooperatives to being leaders in renewable energy
while making a positive difference in the communities they
serve.
" EMCs maintain a balanced and diverse portfolio to
meet the energy needs of Georgia's consumers-and that
includes innovative sources like solar, " he said. " They've
harnessed Georgia's natural resources to power our homes,
drive economic development and provide hundreds of jobs
in construction and installation. "
The three solar sites were developed, funded and built
by Silicon Ranch, which also owns, operates and maintains
the arrays throughout the life cycle of each facility. Green
Power EMC is purchasing all the energy and environmental
attributes (credits, benefits, emission reductions or offsets
granted because of the elimination of emissions into the air,
soil or water through the use of green technology) generated
by the facilities on behalf of its member EMCs for the next
30 years.
Thirty-two of Georgia's EMCs share in the three
facilities' power production. By working together, Georgia's

Snipesville I is an 86-megawatt facility in Jeﬀ Davis County.

Georgia Magazine

May 2021

The Terrell Solar Farm in Terrell County is a 74-megawatt facility.

Georgia Magazine - May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - May 2021