BLAKELY, Ga., Dec. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Facebook's first
solar project in the state of Georgia is now operational in Early County. Facebook representatives joined
Walton Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) and Silicon Ranch
today to "flip the switch" on the 102.5 megawatt (MWAC)
solar facility in a special ceremony at the project site. State and
local officials joined more than 100 guests to help celebrate the
milestone achievement.
Facebook chose Walton EMC as the power supplier for its data
center in Newton County when it
announced the facility in March 2018.
As part of its agreement to supply 100 percent renewable energy for
the Newton Data Center, Walton EMC announced a contract in
December 2018 with Silicon Ranch, the
U.S. solar platform for Shell and one of the nation's largest
independent solar power producers.
The resulting solar project has yielded tangible economic
benefits across the state. To support Facebook's data center and
corresponding investments in Newton
County, Silicon Ranch employed more than 675 people in
Early County over the past ten
months to assemble and install single-axis trackers that utilize
NEXTracker's TrueCapture smart control system, enabling more than
350,000 solar modules to track the sun from east to west across
more than 1,200 acres. The locally-sourced modules were among the
first produced by Hanwha Q CELLS at its new manufacturing facility
in Whitfield County, which is the
largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.
"This project is representative of the cooperative approach to
economic development across our state that has made Georgia a leader in innovative fields like
solar energy," said Governor Brian P.
Kemp. "The world-class solar cells manufactured by
Hanwha Q CELLS in northeast Georgia and installed at Silicon Ranch's solar
field in Early County are paving
the way for leading companies with a focus on sustainability – like
Facebook – to find a home in Georgia. That cooperation, facilitated by our
outstanding local economic development partners like Walton EMC, is
a large part of what has earned Georgia the title of No. 1 State for Business
for seven consecutive years, and I am excited for the future of the
solar energy industry in our state."
In addition to sourcing locally-made solar modules, Silicon
Ranch has introduced another unique feature for the project in
Early County. The solar farm is
Silicon Ranch's first new-build site to incorporate its holistic
approach to land management, which it has trademarked as
Regenerative Energy™. The innovative approach keeps the property in
agricultural production, as adaptively-managed grazing livestock,
diverse plant life, pollinator habitat, and wildlife work together
to revitalize degraded soils, enhance biodiversity, make ecosystems
more resilient, improve the watershed, and sequester carbon in the
soil. Quantifiable ecological, economic, and social outcomes are
backed by third-party verified standards.
"Less than two years ago, Facebook, Morgan Stanley, and Walton
EMC came together to design a landmark energy supply arrangement
for Facebook's Newton Data Center, and today marks an important
milestone toward honoring the commitments we made," said Walton
EMC CEO Ronnie Lee. "On behalf
of our Board of Directors and the entire team at Walton EMC, I want
to express our sincere appreciation to Silicon Ranch for their
steadfast dedication to deliver this world-class facility right on
schedule."
"We are committed to supporting all of Facebook's operations
with 100% renewable energy, and we are thrilled that this new solar
project will help us meet that goal for our Newton Data Center,"
said Urvi Parekh, Head of
Renewable Energy at Facebook. "We thank Silicon Ranch and
Walton EMC for their continued partnership and for sharing our
commitment to have a positive impact on the communities where we
locate."
"Silicon Ranch is honored by the confidence and trust that
Walton EMC and Facebook placed in our company to execute on their
behalf," said Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and CEO Reagan Farr. "One of our guiding principles
is that 'we do what we say we will do,' and I want to thank all of
our project partners, including our friends in Early County, for helping us to keep our
promises to Walton EMC and Facebook."
As a tribute to the history of Early
County, the project team has named the facility the Bancroft
Station Solar Farm in honor of the original name of the local
area.
In November, Walton EMC announced a second agreement with
Silicon Ranch on behalf of Facebook to support the Newton Data
Center with renewable energy. The 107 MWAC facility will
be located in southeast Georgia
and is scheduled to come online in 2021.
About Walton EMC
Walton EMC is a customer-owned power
company that serves accounts over its 10-county service area
between Atlanta and Athens, Ga. Its primary focus is providing
exceptional service to its 130,000 residential, commercial and
industrial customer-owner accounts while also caring for the area's
communities. Learn more at facebook.com/waltonemc and
waltonemc.com.
About Silicon Ranch Corporation
Silicon Ranch is the
U.S. solar platform for Shell and one of the largest independent
solar power producers in the country. Silicon Ranch's work with a
diverse set of customers across the country, including Fortune 500
companies and electric cooperatives, demonstrates its ability to
customize solutions that ensure successful outcomes. The company's
operating portfolio includes more than 125 facilities across 14
states from New York to
California, including the first
large-scale solar projects in Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Silicon Ranch
pioneered utility-scale solar in Georgia and is today a recognized market
leader, with more than 1 Gigawatt across the state. To learn more,
visit siliconranch.com and go to facebook.com/siliconranch.
Melanie Roe • melanieroe@fb.com •
650-798-7966
Matt Beasley •
matt.beasley@siliconranch.com • 615-577-4616
Greg Brooks • gbrooks@waltonemc.com •
770-266-2307
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SOURCE Walton EMC