GreyStone Power to participate in large Georgia solar project

GreyStone Power Corporation will soon receive energy from one of the largest solar energy projects in Georgia, GreyStone President/CEO Gary Miller announced today. GreyStone 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 Georgia Electric Membership Corporations (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 solar array will occupy approximately 135 acres and will incorporate over 87,000 solar modules. Once completed, the solar array 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, Tenn. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, and the facility will be ready to produce electricity by the end of 2015. According to Miller, the 20 MW project will produce enough electricity to serve about 3,000 EMC households.

Miller 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 (kW) 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 Miller. “We are excited to be a part of this major expansion of solar energy in Georgia,” he added.

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 has been instrumental in assisting many of its customers accomplish numerous firsts in their marketplaces. Silicon Ranch also owns and operates Georgia’s largest solar farm in Social Circle, Ga.

Matt Kisber, president of Silicon Ranch Corporation, said, “We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Green Power EMC and their members in deploying their first, large-scale solar array. I commend the leadership and membership of Green Power EMC for creating this initiative to provide competitively priced, renewable power solar generation to their Georgia membership.”

For GreyStone Power members who would like to learn more about current solar technology, the cooperative is offering a free seminar called Solar Energy 101. This new seminar will be held at GreyStone’s main office in Douglasville on Tuesday, Aug. 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information and to register for the event, visit www.greystonepower.com.

GreyStone Power serves more than 107,400 members in portions of eight counties, including Paulding, Douglas, Fulton, Cobb, Carroll, Bartow, Fayette and Coweta counties.

Green Power EMC was the first green energy provider in the state.  It was created by Georgia’s EMCs in 2001 and has been selling green energy since 2003. In addition to landfill gas generation, Green Power EMC obtains green power from renewable facilities all over the state, including low-impact hydroelectric, biomass from wood waste and solar power.

EMCs that own Green Power EMC serve more than 4.1 million Georgia residents.

For more information about renewable energy efforts in Georgia, visit www.greenpoweremc.com.