Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives Inc. (IEA) has been awarded a contract by Silicon Ranch Corp. to construct the Cedar Springs Solar Ranch in Early County, Ga. The 70 MW AC solar project will provide power to Green Power EMC, the renewable energy supplier for 38 Georgia electric cooperatives.
Silicon Ranch is funding the installation of the Cedar Springs Solar Ranch, and will own and operate the solar array. Silicon Ranch’s wholly owned subsidiary, SR EPC, has awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to IEA Constructors, a wholly owned subsidiary of IEA. Construction is scheduled to commence by the end of the first quarter of 2022 and the facility is expected to be online by the end of the year.
“IEA is excited to continue its strong partnership with Silicon Ranch, a true pioneer in the solar energy space,” says Joe Broom, IEA’s senior vice president of solar construction operations. “We look forward to utilizing local skilled labor to help safely and efficiently complete construction of the Cedar Springs Solar Ranch project, while bringing additional clean energy options to the people of Georgia.”
IEA’s scope of work includes the installation of owner furnished modules and full balance of system EPC construction, including all civil, mechanical and electrical work. More than 215,000 First Solar Series 6 modules will be installed across the 1,400-acre site in rural southwest Georgia.
“The Cedar Springs Solar Ranch is our latest opportunity to showcase some of the special qualities that make Georgia such a great place for business, including its renowned workforce,” states Reagan Farr, Silicon Ranch’s co-founder and CEO. “Early County holds many firsts for Silicon Ranch, including the first-ever new build facility to incorporate our Regenerative Energy model for land management with White Oak Pastures. We are pleased to partner again with IEA and White Oak Pastures to build on this legacy, and we thank our partners at Green Power EMC, as well as the Early County Board of Commissioners, for making this meaningful investment possible.”
Silicon Ranch will return the land housing the Cedar Springs Solar Ranch to agricultural production through managed sheep grazing under and around solar panels and other regenerative pastureland management practices via its Regenerative Energy platform. Through these regenerative practices, Silicon Ranch will restore the land to a functioning grassland ecosystem and deliver additional benefits to the region, such as carbon sequestration, restored soil health, improved water quality and enhanced biodiversity.
“Four Georgia electric cooperatives will share in the power generated by this new facility which will produce enough clean energy to help serve more than 11,000 households,” comments Jeff Pratt, Green Power EMC’s president. “In addition to adding more low-cost solar power to our members’ renewable energy portfolio, we are proud that this project will create job opportunities and support economic development in Early County.”
