The Ragsdale Solar Park, situated in Madison County, Mississippi, will provide power directly into Entergy Mississippi’s transmission system.
The 100 MW produced by EDP Renewables’s new solar project that became operational in late Q4 will go to Amazon through a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
According to the report Solar Means Business by the Solar Energy Industries Association, Amazon in the top five corporations in terms of solar procurement. Amazon announced recently that it had met its goal set in 2019 to match all of the electricity consumed in its global operations with 100% renewable energy by 2030. In many cases, Amazon does not have solar onsite but matches its electricity demand by investing in Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), documents that represent financial investment in off-site renewable energy capacity.
The Ragsdale Solar Park, situated in Madison County, Mississippi, will provide power directly into Entergy Mississippi’s transmission system.
According to EDP Renewables, Ragsdale will generate about $34.6 million in local taxes over the project’s lifetime. EDP will pay landowners approximately $15 million for the portion of land leased for the project.
Situated on about 1,200 acres, the solar facility uses
Jeff Jacobs, a senior project manager of EDP Renewables told pv magazine USA, that Ragsdale recycled more than 3,200 solar panels (about 120 tons) during the project’s construction. The panels were recycled through Solarcycle, one of EDP Renewables’ partners in its Close the Loop program.
EDP Renewables has a target to achieve 85% waste recovery during the construction, operational and dismantling phases across all the company’s projects’ lifecycle by 2026.
(See also: “Experts weigh in on solar recycling, repowering and public policy”)
The project’s construction spanned from September 2023 through November 2024, during which it reportedly employed an estimated 600 people. Throughout its operation, the facility will have four locally hired permanent employees, Jacobs said.
EDP Renewables integrated a guitar pick into Ragdale’s logo “to commemorate Canton’s rich musical history and proximity to the Mississippi Blues Trail,” the company said.
EDP Renewables acquired Ragsdale from Acadian in early 2022. Beta Engineering served as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm, responsible for the 230, 35 kV substation that connects Ragsdale to the Mississippi grid.
Prior to the project’s construction, EDP Renewables hosted a community outreach event in downtown Canton with subject matter experts from EDP Renewables, Beta and Signal Energy. The event led EDP Renewables and Beta to co-produce a video featuring interviews with community leaders and stakeholders who attended the outreach event. In recognition of their collaboration and execution of community relations and media efforts supporting the Ragsdale Solar Park, the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts won the silver W3 Award in the environmental and sustainability category in 2024.
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