By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–It’s a new day with a new solar facility in Henry County.
The Paris Board of Public Utilities, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Silicon Ranch—along with county, city of Paris nd Puryear officials—held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new solar facility to be built in Puryear.
The 80-acre solar facility will generate 6.75 megawatt (MWAC), enough energy to power approximately1,000 homes annually.
It is called the Paris Solar Farm – Puryear and is expected to begin delivering energy to the Paris BPU electric grid in December 2022.
Terry Wimberley, CEO of the Paris BPU, said, “This is an historic day for Paris and Henry County and we’re really excited about this. This is a huge win for our community and for our utility company.”
Wimberley thanked TVA for providing the option and noted that BPU “is one of the earliest local power companies to jump on this. We could not have asked for a better collaboration. And this is just the beginning”
Wimberley spoke along with Barry Flood, Manager of Energy Solutions for BPU; Silicon Ranch co-founder Matt Kisber, who also was a former State Representative and former Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner; and Mark Yates, Vice President of TVA’s western region.
The facility is part of TVA’s Generation Flexibility Program, which is designed to encourage local power companies to develop distributed generation facilities and provide local solutions to the renewable needs of customers, while also improving the carbon position of the region. Through Generation Flexibility, TVA enables local power companies to generate up to 5% of their total energy load to meet the renewable energy goals of their customers, attract sustainability-focused businesses to their communities, and solve individual challenges for their customers or distribution systems. Because economic development is an important part of Paris BPU’s mission, flexible solutions like the one offered by TVA add another tool to the toolbox in the company’s conversations with industry partners.
“We’re pleased to work with Silicon Ranch, which has a trusted track record as a positive contributor to communities as a neighbor, landowner, and solar developer,” Wimberley said.. “TVA’s Generation Flexibility Program gives the people of Henry County the safe, reliable, affordable energy they’ve come to expect. This inaugural local project also helps to ensure Tennessee’s energy mix becomes more sustainable without compromising energy independence over the long term.”
The Paris Solar Farm – Puryear will generate clean, renewable energy at a cost-effective, stable price for both Paris BPU and its customers across its service territory, Wimberley said.
“Through Generation Flexibility,” Wimberley said, “TVA enables local power companies like Paris BPU to generate up to 5% of their total energy load to meet the renewable energy goals of our customers, attract sustainability-focused businesses to the community and solve individual challenges for customers or distribution systems. Because economic development is an important part of Paris BPU’s mission, flexible solutions like the one offered by TVA add another tool to the toolbox in our company’s conversations with industry partners.”
Wimberley noted the students from Harrelson School in Puryear who were on hand. “This group of students represents the larger group of students in our community that we would love to host at this solar project over time. Paris, as the local utility, can be involved in the educational community and provide opportunities for students to learn about a clean energy future through field trips and other educational events.”
Barry Flood, long-time BPU employee and the site’s former landowner noted he grew up two blocks from the new solar facility.
“As a former student in this area, I can see the opportunity this project can provide for Paris BPU to be involved in the educational community,” Flood said. “We prioritize community engagement, recognizing that projects like the Paris Solar Farm – Puryear can provide community, environmental, and economic benefits.”
Flood said, “With this day and this event, my emotions are going all over the place.” Flood also thanked current landowner Kevin Kennedy for his support of the project.
Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and Chairman Matt Kisber said, “Silicon Ranch takes great pride in our Tennessee roots and in our role as a trusted local partner to help TVA and LPCs deliver value to the customers and communities they serve.”
This inaugural local project can produce enough electricity to power around 1000 homes over the course of a year as weather conditions permit,” he said. “Construction of the solar facility will create approximately 150 craft labor jobs, with preference given to the local labor pool and the military veteran community.”
The nearly 80 acre project site represents over $7 million invested in the community,” he said. “The project is designed to generate approximately 6.75 MWac electricity annually, with zero carbon emissions and zero water consumption needs. Since the project is privately owned, it will be net positive for the local tax base, contributing significant new revenues without requiring county services in return.”
Construction is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2022.
Nashville-based Silicon Ranch, which is funding the project, expects to invest upwards of $7 million to construct the facility. Construction of the solar facility will create approximately 150 craft labor jobs, with preference given to the local labor pool and the military veteran community.
Through a partnership with Clearloop, which has been acquired by Silicon Ranch, Rivian Automotive provided upfront capital to help enable the installation. That investment provides one megawatt of additional solar, which will generate electricity to cover Rivian’s planned Tennessee State Park charging stations and other clean energy commitments in the region.
Silicon Ranch will own, operate, and maintain the facility, a disciplined and differentiated approach the company takes with every project it develops, resulting in hundreds of thousands of tax dollars that will be invested back into the Henry County community, supporting the local school system and government services. Additionally, Silicon Ranch plans to support educational outreach opportunities to help teach students about how the Paris Solar Farm – Puryear and similar projects are advancing the energy transition across the Tennessee Valley.
Photo: Breaking ground today at the new Paris Solar Farm-Puryear included BPU, TVA and Silicon Ranch officials. (Shannon McFarlin photo).