Silicon Ranch Corp. plans to develop a 68-MW solar facility in Georgia's Houston County.
The developer will partner with nonprofit Green Power EMC, an organization that provides power from renewable resources to its thirty member co-ops, according to a Nov. 17 press release issued by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
In a Nov. 19 email, Silicon Ranch Chief Commercial Officer Matt Beasley said the project, which he referred to as the Perry Solar Farm, will be located near an I-75 overpass roughly 5.5 miles south of Perry, Ga. Over 300 "craft workers" are expected to begin constructing the $55 million facility on Dec. 1 and complete it in the fall of 2021, Beasley said.
No state-level incentives were provided for the project, and no permissions are required from the Georgia Public Service Commission, Beasley explained. When asked about whether a payment in lieu of taxes plan had been created, Beasley said his company does not "typically comment on agreements with the local community."
According to Green Power EMC's website, the vast majority of the electric membership corporation's 503-MW generation portfolio — 93% — is made up of solar power resources. Green Power EMC President Jeff Pratt in a statement noted that the project will "help power more than 11,000 EMC households."
Only about 2.27% of electricity in the Peach State comes from solar resources, as of the second quarter of 2020, with just 2,664.39 MW worth of installed solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. The trade group projects that an additional 1,750 MW will be installed in Georgia over the next five years.
Silicon Ranch, which on its website calls itself "the Southeast's solar energy pioneer," recently closed a sale-leaseback transaction for its planned 74-MW SR Terrell Solar Project