JEMC to participate in large Ga. solar project

JEFFERSON - Jackson EMC will soon be receiving energy from one of the largest solar energy projects in Georgia.<br /> <br /> President/CEO Chip Jakins says Jackson EMC is one of 27 Georgia electric cooperatives that will purchase the output of the planned project for a 25-year period through Green Power EMC, the renewable energy supplier for 38 Georgia Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs).<br /> <br /> The ground-mounted solar array will be constructed near Hazlehurst in Jeff Davis County, and will be one of the largest solar generating facilities in Georgia. The solar array will occupy approximately 135 acres and will incorporate over 87,000 solar modules. Once completed, the solar array will generate more than 43,000 megawatt (MW) hours of clean, renewable electricity annually.<br /> <br /> The project is being built by owner-operator Silicon Ranch Corporation, based in Nashville, Tenn. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, and the facility will be ready to produce electricity by the end of 2015. According to Jakins, the 20 MW project will produce enough electricity to serve about 3,000 EMC households.<br /> <br /> Jakins said the Hazlehurst project is the result of a request for proposals issued in late 2013 to add more solar energy to Green Power EMC's portfolio. The company already purchases the output of two solar projects, a 115 kilowatt (kW) rooftop array near Athens, and a 150 kW ground-mounted array near Warner Robins. He said the Hazlehurst project will nearly double the total renewable capacity of Green Power EMC

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