Silicon Ranch broke ground on two solar projects in Clarksville, Tennessee, for local utility CDE Lightband within the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The two projects will total 6.75 MWAC.
The 2-MW Solar Band Red Array and 4.75-MW Solar Band Orange Array should be completed by Dec. 2023.
“CDE Lightband prides itself on reliability and connectivity. Our customers expect nothing less. These solar farms will help us improve the resiliency of our services without increasing costs, all while helping Clarksville attract additional businesses to the area,” says CDE Lightband General Manager Brian Taylor.
TVA and CDE Lightband partnered with the city to help it achieve ambitious infrastructure goals to meet the needs of a growing population. This includes installing fiber cables, and opening access to renewable energy with the goal of attracting more businesses to the Clarksville area.
“CDE Lightband is one of the most forward-thinking local power companies in the country, especially considering the role it embraces as an engine for local economic development, thanks in large part to Brian Taylor and his team, who are working daily to serve the needs of their rapidly growing community,” said Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and Chairman Matt Kisber. “We are proud to partner with CDE Lightband to help meet the high bar its leadership has set, and its customers have come to expect, as the long-term owner and operator of these solar projects which will provide reliable cost-effective energy.”
Notably, Clarksville is home to the Fort Campbell military base. Silicon Ranch works with programs like Hiring Our Heroes and Solar Ready Vets to assist military veterans, from every branch, as they transition into their next missions in civilian life. Silicon Ranch exceeds the national average in hiring veterans by nearly double, and its team includes military veterans previously based at Fort Campbell.
“What we know is that veterans have looked at problems. They’ve had to figure out how to solve them,” says Nick de Vries, Chief Technology Officer at Silicon Ranch. “As an Army veteran myself, this is something I have known for a long time. We are grateful to our military veteran employees and the unique skill sets they bring to our team, and will continue to broaden our ties with the military veteran community.”
Members of the active and retired military joined CDE Lightband, Silicon Ranch, and TVA for this groundbreaking.
News item from Silicon Ranch
