Green Power EMC and Silicon Ranch Announce 252-Megawatt Solar Portfolio in Georgia

Green Power EMC, the renewable energy supplier for 38 Georgia Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs), and Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent solar power producers, announced an agreement to bring an additional 252 megawatts (MWAC) of solar energy online to serve 16 subscribing cooperatives from across Georgia. The total capacity will be generated across three locations in southern Georgia and will produce enough low-cost, renewable power to help serve more than 44,000 EMC households annually.

Silicon Ranch is funding the three utility-scale solar facilities and plans to build them in stages over the next three years. The company will also own, operate, and maintain the arrays for the long-term, a disciplined approach Silicon Ranch takes with every project it develops. Green Power EMC will purchase all the energy and environmental attributes generated by the facilities on behalf of its member cooperatives. This unique procurement model allows participating cooperatives to capture value through economies of scale and source low-cost renewable power to benefit the members and communities they serve.

“Georgia’s cooperatives continue to grow their renewable energy portfolio with collaborative, low-cost solar power projects that deliver value to their members and the rural communities they locate in, not only through the clean energy they provide, but also through the manner in which it is generated,” said Green Power EMC President Jeff Pratt. “By combining renewable energy generation with regenerative agriculture practices, this innovative solar portfolio with Silicon Ranch will benefit the people, land, environment, and local economies in Jeff Davis, Lee, and Montgomery Counties.”

The 252 MWAC portfolio further expands the industry-leading partnership between Silicon Ranch and Green Power EMC. Silicon Ranch pioneered utility-scale solar in Georgia and remains a market leader, with nearly two gigawatts across the state. Georgia’s cooperatives lead the nation among electric co-ops for solar deployment, and in the past six years have grown their solar portfolio by 8,000 percent.

Georgia Plant Generates Alternative Energy from Wood Chips

As the need for renewable energy sources is made increasingly clear, some utility companies are devising creative approaches in the field of green power production.

One such example is Georgia’s first woody waste facility, located in Rabun Gap.

Plans for the project began in 2008, when Green Power EMC and Multitrade Rabun Gap, LLC, signed an agreement in which EMCs agreed to purchase 17 megawatts of biomass energy to be generated at the site.

With construction of the plant complete, power is available to consumers of co-ops that are part of the Rabun Gap agreement – Carroll, Cobb, Coweta-Fayette, Irwin, Jackson, Middle Georgia, Oconee, Okefenoke, Sawnee, Tri-County and Walton EMCs, as well as Diverse Power, Flint Energies, GreyStone Power and Southern Rivers.

The facility, known as the Rabun Gap Plant, uses woody waste from Georgia’s forestry industry as the primary fuel source in a conventional boiler for the generation of steam to power a steam turbine electric generator.

This facility gives Green Power EMC and its electric co-op partners about 25 megawatts of renewable generation. This energy is available across the state through 38 cooperative partners and is enough to supply approximately 19,000 homes annually.

Green Power Announces Solar Installation in Warner Robins

Green Power EMC, the largest renewable-energy provider in Georgia, continues to grow its energy portfolio with the addition of a 150-kilowatt solar facility in Warner Robins. The facility will bring Green Power EMC’s total renewable generation to almost 28 megawatts.

Green Power EMC joined forces with odor elimination manufacturer Clean Control Corp. and solar developer First Century Energy to build this project. Located on approximately one acre at the headquarters of Clean Control Corp. in Warner Robins, the facility will be one of the largest solar photovoltaic arrays in the state, providing 4.7 million kWh of solar energy to the power grid over its projected 25-year lifetime.

We’re very proud to be involved in the Clean Control solar project,” said George Mori, executive vice president at First Century Energy. “The array speaks volumes about Clean Control’s commitment to sustainability and demonstrates the economic development potential for solar in Georgia, as most of the system components and all labor was sourced in the state.”

The Warner Robins project and associated power purchase agreement is the second joint project of First Century and Green Power EMC under a pilot program aimed at deploying solar installations in EMC service areas throughout Georgia.

Coweta-Fayette Electric Membership Corporation Green Power Program is Green-e Energy certified, and meets the environmental and consumer-protection standards set forth by the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions. Coweta-Fayette EMC voluntarily accepts and supports the Green-e Energy Code of Conduct and Customer Disclosure Requirements and independent verification methods.  Green-e Energy assures customers that Participants portray their Green-e Energy Certified renewable energy option accurately.  The Green-e Energy logo shown here can only be used with renewable energy options like this one that promise to meet Green-e Energy’s high standards of environmental and marketing integrity.  For more information on Green-e Energy certification requirements log on to www.green-e.org.

**Due to an overwhelming response from our environmentally-conscious Members, Coweta-Fayette EMC’s Green Power program does not have any more blocks available for purchase. Consumers have been enrolled on a first-come, first-serve basis since the beginning of our program in 2001. We will begin offering it again when more green power is available.