Paris BPU, TVA, and Silicon Ranch Celebrate Newest Tennessee Solar Farm with “Flip the Switch” Event
NASHVILLE, Tenn. & PURYEAR, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent power producers and a community-focused renewable energy company, the Paris Board of Public Utilities (Paris BPU), and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) held a “Flip the Switch” event today to celebrate the completion of a new 6.75-megawatt (MWAC) solar facility in Puryear, Tennessee. This solar facility will generate enough renewable, cost-effective energy to power approximately 1,000 homes annually.
The Paris Solar Farm – Puryear was developed as part of TVA’s Generation Flexibility Program. The nationally renowned program is designed to encourage local power companies (LPCs) to develop distributed generation facilities and provide local solutions to the renewable needs of customers. With economic development being an integral part of Paris BPU’s mission, the ability to take advantage of flexible solutions helps ensure that Paris BPU can continue to provide Henry County customers with safe, reliable, cost-effective energy.
As the long-term landowner of every project it develops, including the Paris Solar Farm – Puryear, Silicon Ranch is committed to working directly with the community as a neighbor invested in the long-term success and economic viability of the surrounding area. Additionally, through this project, Silicon Ranch will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in new tax revenue for the county over the life of the project which will help support infrastructure, and other community-identified priorities, while requiring little to no county services in return.
“As a company that calls Tennessee home, Silicon Ranch is proud to continue to deliver on our commitments to build, own, and operate projects like this that not only help spur positive growth, but also provide a source of reliable, cost-effective renewable energy to communities in our own backyard,” said Reagan Farr, Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and CEO. “We applaud Paris BPU for utilizing TVA’s visionary Generation Flexibility Program and look forward to partnering with both companies for years to come.”
“The completion of this solar project in Henry County marks the beginning of a new era for Paris BPU as an even more resilient power company for our community. We’re proud to be leading clean energy efforts and providing solar-generated power to our local industries and customers,” said Terry Wimberley, President and CEO of Paris BPU. “This project wouldn’t have been possible without our trusted partner, Silicon Ranch. And we encourage others in the community to support the push towards locally generated, diversified, sustainable energy sources.”
“TVA is using renewable energy to drive economic growth in local communities like Henry County across the Valley,” said Chris Hansen, TVA Vice President of Origination and Renewable Solutions. “Flipping the switch on the Paris Solar Farm – Puryear alongside Silicon Ranch and Paris BPU represents our shared commitment to ensuring all of our partners have access to reliable energy sources that will benefit the community.”
Electric automaker Rivian Automotive is meeting its ambitious climate commitments by partnering with Clearloop, Silicon Ranch’s carbon solutions platform, to support the development of one megawatt of this project. Rivian’s Waypoints chargers are located at eleven state parks across Tennessee: Radnor Lake, Cumberland Mountain, South Cumberland, Montgomery Bell, Cove Lake, Indian Mountain, Meeman-Shelby Forest, Natchez Trace, Warrior’s Path, Fall Creek Falls, and Pickwick Landing. As of December 2022, Rivian’s 1MW portion of the Paris Solar Farm – Puryear is expected to annually generate more renewable energy than is needed for all these sites combined.
This past January, Clearloop, Rivian, and the City of Paris held an event celebrating the first charge of Rivian’s Waypoints station at Eiffel Tower Park.
“This new solar farm is a testament to how carbon solutions can be used to bring big brands and local power companies together to benefit a community for the long-term at scale,” said Laura Zapata, CEO and co-founder of Clearloop. “Rivian and Paris BPU are setting a clear example for other communities on how mutual partnership can benefit parts of the country that can benefit the most by aligning decarbonization and economic opportunity.”
About Silicon Ranch
Founded in 2011, Silicon Ranch is a fully integrated provider of customized renewable energy, carbon, and battery storage solutions for a diverse set of partners across North America. The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the country, with a portfolio that includes more than five gigawatts of solar and battery storage systems that are contracted, under construction, or operating across the U.S. and Canada. Silicon Ranch owns and operates every project in its portfolio and has maintained an unblemished track record of project execution, having successfully commissioned every project it has contracted in its history. Silicon Ranch has the largest utility scale agrivoltaics portfolio in the country under Regenerative Energy® its nationally recognized holistic approach to project design, construction, and land management. This model incorporates regenerative ranching and other regenerative land management practices to restore livelihoods and soil health, biodiversity, and water quality. In 2021, Silicon Ranch acquired Clearloop, which helps businesses of all sizes reclaim their carbon footprint with a direct investment in building new solar projects while helping to bring renewable energy and economic development to distressed communities. To learn more, visit siliconranch.com and clearloop.us. Follow Silicon Ranch on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
About Paris BPU
Established in 1938, Paris BPU is a municipal utility that provides electric, water and wastewater services to residents of Paris and Henry County as a means of promoting economic development and enhancing quality of life in the community. Serving over 21,000 homes and businesses, Paris BPU strives to provide reliable, safe and affordable services to our community.
About Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation, and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.
About Clearloop:
Clearloop creates carbon solutions for companies of all sizes to help decarbonize the American economy in the communities that can benefit the most. As a Silicon Ranch company, Clearloop helps corporate climate leaders meet their net-zero and corporate responsibility goals by supporting the development of new solar projects. These projects directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while spurring economic investment in an effort to usher in a more equitable energy transition in the United States. By bringing solar projects to regions of the country with disproportionately carbon-intense electricity generation, Clearloop is shifting the way corporate investments offset and reduce carbon to achieve emissions reductions faster and more effectively. To learn more, visit clearloop.us and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Contacts
Media:
Silicon Ranch Corporation
Katie Jacobs/Quarter Horse PR
siliconranch@qh-pr.com
(847) 715-8624
Paris BPU
Terry Wimberley
tgwimberley@parisbpu.org
(731) 642-1322 ext. 149
TVA
Scott Fielder
safiedler@tva.gov
(423) 751-7883
