Two Kentucky solar projects supporting Amazon operations are now online — a rooftop array at the Amazon Air Hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) and Turkey Creek, a solar array operated by Silicon Ranch.
Amazon is on a path to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, and is the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in Kentucky and worldwide, according to BloombergNEF. Amazon currently has a total of 30 renewable energy projects across the Southeast region, including solar and wind projects in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina, which will have a total capacity of more than 7,500 GWh of power once the projects are fully operational.
“As Amazon moves to power our operations with 100% renewable energy, we’re proud to support new solar and wind projects in Kentucky and across the southeast, where local communities and our customers can also benefit from them,” said Amazon Director of Energy and Sustainable Operations Chris Roe. “These projects are helping provide clean energy to local grids, create jobs, support local businesses and farmers, and boost the rural tax base, which are all part of Amazon’s broader commitment to become a more sustainable company.”
At Amazon’s Air Hub at CVG airport, Amazon partnered with Duke Energy to build a 2-MWac solar project on the rooftop. Amazon is leasing the roof free of charge to Duke Energy, which worked with Amazon’s team to install the panels. Duke Energy operates the system, which is now feeding all of the electricity it generates into the local grid to help power nearby homes and businesses.
“I want to congratulate Amazon and Duke Energy for their collaboration that demonstrates both companies’ commitment to move towards a more environmentally friendly energy future for Kentucky and for their work that creates healthier communities,” said Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman.
At the 70-MWdc Turkey Creek solar project in Garrard County, a rural farming community of less than 20,000 people, the farmland under the solar panels is being managed using local agriculture, thanks to a partnership with local sheep rancher Daniel Bell, owner of Hazelbrook Farm, and the project’s developer and landowner, Silicon Ranch. Bell’s sheep are being used as part of a managed approach to grazing, which will prevent the vegetation from becoming overgrown and interfering with energy production, while also improving soil health and ecosystem function. The panels in return provide a source of shade for the sheep.
The partnership is making it possible for Bell to triple the size of his flock to nearly 1,000 sheep and turn the part- time farm into a fulltime, multi-generation operation by creating a year-round shepherding job for his son Canaan, who was previously employed as a local factory worker. The family plans to hire additional employees in the coming months to support the farm’s growth.
The Bells sell their sheep to a local meat distributor, who is a supplier for Whole Foods Markets, a grocery chain owned by Amazon with locations in Kentucky and Ohio.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Bell, who originally noticed the solar farm being built and reached out to Silicon Ranch. “People want to be farmers, but it’s very hard to be profitable. I always dreamed of being a fulltime farmer, and wanted that opportunity for my kids, and now they have it.”
“As the long-term owner and operator of every project we develop, we understand and embrace our obligation to be responsible stewards of the land we own and to be productive members of the communities where we locate,” said Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and CEO Reagan Farr. “Through our Regenerative Energy platform, we are proving that marrying solar and agriculture on one piece of property generates important social, economic, and environmental benefits for our communities, and over the past few years, we have demonstrated that we can make the land under and around our solar panels better than when we initially found it. We have built a talented team to help advance this important mission, and we are pleased to extend this meaningful legacy to Garrard County, Kentucky.”
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