Based in Nashville Silicon Ranch has signed an agreement to develop a 110 MW solar project for Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE), the largest electric cooperative in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in the United States.
The Copeland Solar Farm will be the first utility-scale solar project TVA’s Expanded Generation Flexibility Programallowing local energy companies to access and directly purchase utility-scale solar projects located outside their distribution area.
“Silicon Ranch pioneered utility-scale solar in the region and remains the undisputed industry leader, with more than 40 operational solar facilities in the Tennessee Valley,” said Matt Beasley, Chief Commercial Officer of Silicon Ranch. “Despite this long track record of over twelve years, the Copeland Solar Farm is unique in that it will be the largest solar facility to directly serve a local energy company in the region, and perhaps more importantly, it is the first ever signed under TVA’s newly expanded Generation Flexibility Program.”
On behalf of MTE, Silicon Ranch will finance, build, own, operate and maintain the 110 MWac Copeland Solar Farm in Cumberland County, Tennessee. Once construction is completed in late 2027, MTE will receive the energy and environmental attributes generated by the facility to benefit the more than 750,000 Tennesseans the cooperative serves across 11 counties.
“Because we are owned by the members we serve, MTE continually seeks new ways to deliver value and meet their evolving needs and expectations,” said Chris Jones, president and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric. “As part of this effort, our team has worked closely with TVA to update the Generation Flexibility Program.”
As a landowner and operator, Silicon Ranch will continue to invest in and commit to the continued success and economic viability of Cumberland County and the surrounding community for decades to come. Silicon Ranch is making a significant investment to install the Copeland Solar Farm, and over time the project will generate millions of dollars in new tax revenue for Cumberland County to support local infrastructure and schools, among other community-identified priorities.
TVA’s newly expanded Generation Flexibility Program allows each of the 153 local power companies (LPCs) in TVA’s service territory (which includes parts of seven states) to generate up to 5% of their own energy. TVA recently issued new guidelines for the program, which launched in June 2020 and allows participating LPCs to generate up to 5% of their total energy load to meet their customers’ renewable energy goals and further diversify their energy mix with cheap and reliable clean energy. Version 2.0 of the program allows LPCs to access and directly purchase utility-scale solar projects located outside their distribution area and connected to TVA’s transmission system throughout the region.
Through this program, Silicon Ranch was selected by MTE through a competitive process administered by an external consultant. The two mid-sized Tennessee companies have agreed to collaborate on the 110-megawatt (MWAC) Copeland Solar Farm, the largest local utility (LPC) solar facility located directly in the Tennessee Valley.
“At Silicon Ranch, our first priority is to support stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities through the work we do, and this mission aligns perfectly with the ethos of America’s electric cooperatives,” said Matt Kisber, co-founder and chairman of Silicon. Farm.
To celebrate the milestone agreement, Silicon Ranch hosted a signing ceremony at the company’s headquarters in downtown Nashville with senior officials from MTE and TVA.
“TVA’s Generation Flexibility Program is extremely popular because it helps our LPC partners use renewable energy to reduce costs and deliver economic benefits to their communities,” said Justin Maierhofer, regional vice president at TVA.
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