Silicon Ranch, the Paris Board of Public Utilities (Paris BPU) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) held a “flip the switch” event to celebrate the completion of a new 6.75 MWac solar facility in Puryear, Tennessee.
The Paris Solar Farm – Puryear was developed as part of TVA’s Generation Flexibility Program. The nationally renowned program is designed to encourage local power companies (LPCs) to develop distributed generation facilities and provide local solutions to the renewable needs of customers. With economic development being an integral part of Paris BPU’s mission, the ability to take advantage of flexible solutions helps ensure that Paris BPU can continue to provide Henry County customers with safe, reliable, cost-effective energy.
“As a company that calls Tennessee home, Silicon Ranch is proud to continue to deliver on our commitments to build, own, and operate projects like this that not only help spur positive growth, but also provide a source of reliable, cost-effective renewable energy to communities in our own backyard,” said Reagan Farr, Silicon Ranch cofounder and CEO.
As the long-term landowner of every project it develops, including the Paris Solar Farm – Puryear, Silicon Ranch is committed to working directly with the community as a neighbor invested in the long-term success and economic viability of the surrounding area.
“The completion of this solar project in Henry County marks the beginning of a new era for Paris BPU as an even more resilient power company for our community,” said Terry Wimberley, president and CEO of Paris BPU.
Additionally, through this project, Silicon Ranch will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in new tax revenue for the county over the life of the project which will help support infrastructure, and other community-identified priorities, while requiring little to no county services in return.
“TVA is using renewable energy to drive economic growth in local communities like Henry County across the Valley,” said Chris Hansen, TVA VP of origination and renewable solutions. “Flipping the switch on the Paris Solar Farm – Puryear alongside Silicon Ranch and Paris BPU represents our shared commitment to ensuring all of our partners have access to reliable energy sources that will benefit the community.”
Electric automaker Rivian Automotive is meeting its ambitious climate commitments by partnering with Clearloop, Silicon Ranch’s carbon solutions platform, to support the development of 1 MW of this project. Rivian’s Waypoints chargers are located at 11 state parks across Tennessee: Radnor Lake, Cumberland Mountain, South Cumberland, Montgomery Bell, Cove Lake, Indian Mountain, Meeman-Shelby Forest, Natchez Trace, Warrior’s Path, Fall Creek Falls and Pickwick Landing. As of December 2022, Rivian’s portion of the Paris Solar Farm – Puryear is expected to annually generate more renewable energy than is needed for all these sites combined.
This past January, Clearloop, Rivian and the city of Paris, Tennessee, held an event celebrating the first charge of Rivian’s Waypoints station at Eiffel Tower Park.
“This new solar farm is a testament to how carbon solutions can be used to bring big brands and local power companies together to benefit a community for the long-term at scale,” said Laura Zapata, CEO and cofounder of Clearloop. “Rivian and Paris BPU are setting a clear example for other communities on how mutual partnership can benefit parts of the country that can benefit the most by aligning decarbonization and economic opportunity.”
Tags: C&I, commercial and industrial, Silicon Ranch, The Tennessee Valley Authority
