Today, CDE Lightband, Tennessee
Valley Authority (TVA), and Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent power
producers and a community-focused renewable energy company, broke ground on two solar
farms totaling 6.75 megawatts in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Clarksville has experienced historic
economic growth over the past decade and with it, a rapidly growing population. These two solar
projects will generate enough reliable, low-cost energy to help serve more than 1,000
households annually.
The event celebrated the groundbreaking of both the 2 MW AC Solar Band: Red Array and the
4.75 MW AC Solar Band: Orange Array. The event was hosted at the larger Solar Band: Orange
Array.
Both solar farms are expected to be fully operational and deliver energy to the Clarksville
community in December 2023.
“CDE Lightband prides itself on reliability and connectivity. Our customers expect nothing less.
These solar farms will help us improve the resiliency of our services without increasing costs, all
while helping Clarksville attract additional businesses to the area,” says CDE Lightband General
Manager Brian Taylor. “I am proud of this partnership with TVA and Silicon Ranch and the
collaboration from each organization to make this possible.”
“Solar Band demonstrates what is possible when we come together with a shared vision to use
low-cost, reliable, renewable energy to power our growing economy,” said Doug Perry, Senior
Vice President TVA Commercial Energy Solutions. “Together with our partners, we are building
the nation’s most advanced energy system to help us meet our decarbonization and energy
security goals.”
“CDE Lightband is one of the most forward-thinking LPCs in the country, especially considering
the role it embraces as an engine for local economic development, thanks in large part to Brian
Taylor and his team, who are working daily to serve the needs of their rapidly growing
community,” said Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and Chairman Matt Kisber. “We are proud to
partner with CDE Lightband to help meet the high bar its leadership has set, and its customers
have come to expect, as the long-term owner and operator of these solar projects which will
provide reliable cost-effective energy.”
TVA and CDE Lightband partnered with the city to help it achieve ambitious infrastructure goals
to meet the needs of a growing population. This includes installing fiber cables, and opening
access to renewable energy with the goal of attracting more businesses to the Clarksville area.
Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts noted in Wednesday morning remarks that, the site is next to the entrance to the City's planned Rossview Athletic Complex, that is soon to go under construction.
"It will be a world-class facility, and that is how we do things in Clarksville ... world-class. And Silicon Ranch is just adding to the value of our City by building a Solar Farm," Mayor Pitts said.
"Life, as we know it, is changing, and evolving so quickly in our City. We find ourselves at the beginning of a new frontier. This groundbreaking is a crucible moment for our City. Thanks to CDE Lightband we are setting a new, higher standard in delivering electricity, and broadband services, that is unmatched by anybody, especially the private sector.
"We know that Silicon Ranch is a company of quality, doing what they do best, which is helping communities one-by-one, become cleaner and greener. They are a great partner in this venture and we are so excited that they have chosen Clarksville for their latest investment," Mayor Pitts said.
Notably, Clarksville is home to the Fort Campbell military base. Silicon Ranch works with
programs like Hiring our Heroes and Solar Ready Vets to assist military veterans, from every
branch, as they transition into their next missions in civilian life. Silicon Ranch exceeds the national average in hiring veterans by nearly double, and its team includes military veterans
previously based at Fort Campbell.
“What we know is that veterans have looked at problems. They’ve had to figure out how to solve
them,” says Nick de Vries, Chief Technology Officer at Silicon Ranch. “As an Army veteran
myself, this is something I have known for a long time. We are grateful to our military veteran
employees and the unique skill sets they bring to our team, and will continue to broaden our ties
with the military veteran community.”
Members of the active and retired military joined CDE Lightband, Silicon Ranch, and TVA for
this groundbreaking.
The total of 6.75 megawatts to be generated from Clarksville's solar venture equates to a little over 15 million kilowatt hours, enough capacity to power about 1,080 average-size Clarksville homes for a full year.
That is the combined generation of this Exit 8 facility and another facility that is coming online at the same time, on Wedgwood Drive in Clarksville.
The total to be generated is broken down to 4.75 megawatts at Exit 8, and 2 megawatts on Wedgewood Drive.
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 to American communities that can benefit the most from
these projects.
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