Nashville-based Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent power producers specializing in solar energy, agrivoltaics, and carbon solutions, and Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE), the largest electric cooperative in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in the United States, today announced a landmark solar agreement under TVA’s newly expanded Generation Flexibility Program. The two middle Tennessee businesses have agreed to partner on the 110-megawatt (MWAC) Copeland Solar Farm, which will be the largest solar facility to serve a local power company (LPC) directly in the Tennessee Valley.
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![[Left to Right] Chris Jones (President and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric); Reagan Farr (Co-founder and CEO of Silicon Ranch) (Photo: Business Wire)](https://mms.businesswire.com/media/20240508699057/en/2129227/4/2024-0513_MTE_Signing_PHOTO_1.jpg)
[Left to Right] Chris Jones (President and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric); Reagan Farr (Co-founder and CEO of Silicon Ranch) (Photo: Business Wire)
On behalf of MTE, Silicon Ranch will fund, construct, 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 power and environmental attributes generated by the facility—realizing savings on day one of operation—to benefit the more than 750,000 Tennesseans the cooperative serves across 11 counties. As both the landowner and operator, Silicon Ranch will remain invested in and committed 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.
“Because we are owned by the members we serve, MTE is constantly seeking new ways to deliver value and to meet their evolving needs and expectations,” said Chris Jones, President and CEO of Middle Tennessee Electric. “As part of this effort, our team worked closely with TVA to update the Generation Flexibility Program, and we thank TVA for its collaborative spirit to make this project and this partnership with Silicon Ranch a reality. MTE is pleased and grateful to partner with Silicon Ranch, a trusted local provider that is the recognized leader in providing solar power to electric cooperatives not just for the Tennessee Valley, but across this country.”
“At Silicon Ranch, our number one priority is to support stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities through the work that we do, and this mission aligns perfectly with the ethos of America’s electric cooperatives,” said Matt Kisber, Co-Founder and Chairman of Silicon Ranch. “Silicon Ranch is thrilled to expand this important work with MTE, the region’s largest co-op and an innovative utility that embraces its leadership role to drive the Tennessee Valley forward. We are pleased to have this opportunity to deliver more positive impacts at scale right here at home, and we thank Cumberland County for welcoming us as its newest corporate citizen.”
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 lower costs and provide economic benefit to their community,” said Justin Maierhofer, Regional Vice President at TVA. “TVA thanks MTE and Silicon Ranch for their collaboration as we grow renewable energy and drive meaningful investment in Cumberland County.”
About Silicon Ranch
Founded in 2011, Silicon Ranch is a fully integrated provider of customized solar energy, battery storage, and carbon solutions. 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 unrivaled track record of project execution. Silicon Ranch has the largest wholly owned 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 soil health, promote biodiversity, and improve water quality. Silicon Ranch’s carbon solutions platform, Clearloop, helps businesses of all sizes reclaim their carbon footprint by commissioning new solar projects in American communities where significant economic and environmental benefits can be achieved. To learn more, visit siliconranch.com and clearloop.us. Follow Silicon Ranch on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE)
Founded in 1936, MTE is the largest electric cooperative in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in the United States, serving more than 750,000 Tennesseans via 330,000+ accounts covering nearly 2,200 square miles in 11 Middle Tennessee counties, primarily Rutherford, Cannon, Williamson and Wilson. Municipalities served include Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood, Smyrna, La Vergne, Lebanon and Mt. Juliet. MTE employs 520 people in six local offices and its Murfreesboro headquarters.
MTE’s subsidiary, United Communications, is a nationally recognized broadband company with a fiber network spanning more than 3,800 route miles, providing high-speed internet to portions of Bedford, Davidson, Franklin, Giles, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Rutherford, Williamson, and Wilson counties.
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