On April 25, representatives from Google, The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Origis Energy and Excelsior Energy Capital celebrated the completion of Skyhawk Solar, a 100-MWAC project located in Obion County, Tennessee. Skyhawk Solar is a utility-scale solar project in Tennessee now supplying carbon-free energy (CFE) to Google’s data centers in Montgomery County, Tennessee and Jackson County, Alabama.
Lawmakers, community members and other project stakeholders joined the “Flip the Switch” celebration held on the project site near the Everett – Stewart Regional Airport.
Skyhawk Solar, announced in 2020, was developed under the TVA Green Invest program and contributes to TVA’s continued push to grow clean energy in its seven-state service territory. Construction began in July 2022.
“Skyhawk demonstrates what is possible when we come together with a shared vision to use low cost, clean, reliable, renewable energy to drive jobs and investments into the communities we serve,” said Doug Perry, senior VP of TVA commercial energy solutions. “Together with our partners, we are building the nation’s most advanced energy system to help us meet our decarbonization and energy security goals.”
Origis Energy developed and constructed the project under a strategic alliance with TVA, utilizing a proven development model that emphasizes respectful community engagement and a mission to ensure projects benefit the local regions in which they are constructed.
“Origis is proud to be part of Skyhawk Solar, a clean energy project helping to fulfill TVA and Google decarbonization goals while contributing significant economic benefits to local communities for decades to come,” said Johan Vanhee, Chief Commercial and Procurement Office, Origis Energy. “With expert analysis, we estimate the project to have brought $23 million in local community based economic benefits during construction. It will provide an estimated $31 million in local economic benefits during the life of the project. These funds include millions of dollars in property taxes, benefiting Obion County and its residents with support for government services and the area school system.”
Excelsior provided financing and is the project owner, providing clean energy from the solar plant through a long-term Power Purchase Agreement. The Skyhawk Solar capacity contributes to advancing Google’s goal of operating on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030.
To power its data center campuses in the Southeastern U.S., Google has purchased 413 MW of power generated by multiple solar farms within the TVA territory. The impact of the renewable energy purchase program has also resulted in repurposing a retired fossil fuel plant. One of the Google data centers powered by Skyhawk Solar is located on TVA’s Widows Creek retired coal plant site in North Alabama. Widows Creek served the TVA ratepayers for over seven decades. The Google facility is believed to be the first data center to be located on a repurposed coal generation site, a powerful example of workforce and local economic development benefits resulting from the transition to American generated clean energy.
This year, nearly 60% of TVA’s electricity is from carbon-free generation. To meet the region’s renewable energy needs and lower Valley carbon, TVA plans to add 10,000 megawatts of solar by 2035.
Origis provided construction oversight, contracting with Wanzek Construction to construct the facility. Skyhawk Solar will be operated and maintained by Origis Services.
News item from Origis Energy
