Nashville, Tenn. and Oakland, Cal.—June 20, 2023—We are pleased to announce the promotion of our own Nick de Vries to Chief Technology Officer (CTO), a critical role in which he will serve as Silicon Ranch’s principal architect, steward, and advocate of the company’s technological and ecological vision.
Nick officially joined the Silicon Ranch team in 2017, but his contributions to the company’s success date back to its earliest days. While working as a member of Silicon Ranch’s first strategic EPC partner, Nick designed and helped oversee construction of Silicon Ranch’s first solar projects, all of which are still overseen by the Asset Management and O&M team Nick leads at Silicon Ranch today.
Nick recently returned to one of those first projects—the Pulaski Solar Farm—and demonstrated how he has helped Silicon Ranch enhance and execute against its vision to “Make Solar Do MoreTM” through efforts such as its transformative Regenerative Energy® model of land management and its first-of-its-kind partnership with SOLARCYCLE to responsibly recycle end-of-life modules.
“We rely on Nick’s deep expertise to inform and influence the technology selection for and design of each of our solar projects, and Nick is ultimately responsible for the long-term operations and maintenance of each of them, including our land,” said Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and CEO Reagan Farr. “As such, Nick personifies our unique business model of long-term ownership of our entire portfolio. We are pleased to announce his promotion to CTO and welcome him as an officer of the company.”
Since joining Silicon Ranch, Nick has played an important role in helping to close the loop on the lifecycle of our solar plants through project design, construction, operations, decommissioning, and sustainable sourcing through increasingly circular practices. This meaningful effort includes leading the company’s Regenerative Energy® platform that brings regenerative land management practices in full alignment with solar projects. He has also driven efforts in advancing domestic manufacturing and industry recycling capabilities, not only to increase supply chain security but also to reduce the carbon intensity of the manufacturing of solar materials.
In addition, Nick has “led from the front” in helping Silicon Ranch, and the solar industry at large, to tap into new pools of talent coming out of military service by working closely with organizations such as Hiring Our Heroes and Solar Ready Vets. As a military veteran who served as an Infantry officer in the First Cavalry Division deployed to Kuwait and Bosnia, hiring his fellow veterans is a personal mission for Nick, not only because it builds community but also because Veterans provide so much value to our team.
“The work we do is all about making a difference and having a positive impact, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to do this work at Silicon Ranch,” said Nick de Vries. “Thanks to our business model and the values upon which our founders formed this company, I have the privilege of working with my talented team each and every day to ‘Make Solar Do More’ and continue raising the bar for what is possible as we advance the energy transition together.”
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. To learn more, visit siliconranch.com and clearloop.us. Follow Silicon Ranch on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.