Georgia Solar Farms

Silicon Ranch’s Solar Projects in Georgia

Generation Capacity

1,950 MWac

New Tax Revenues

$180,000,000+
over 40 years

Jobs Created

6,500+

Capital Investment

$3,000,000,000+

Through 2025

Power Equivalent

300,000+
homes annually

Agriculture Jobs Created

18

Through our Regenerative Energy platform

Land Regeneratively Grazed

5,000+ acres

Sheep Grazing

4,000+ head

Helping us manage vegetation and restore soil health, water quality, and biodiversity 

Frequently Asked Questions About Silicon Ranch Solar Projects in Georgia

Have questions about Silicon Ranch projects in the state of Georgia? We’ve compiled a list of common questions about our solar projects in the state, including project facts, videos, and more.
Click on the tabs below to learn more about each subject.

Because it’s a great place to do business thanks in large part to its renowned workforce, forward-thinking utilities, business-friendly environment, welcoming communities, and strong solar resources necessary to build high-performing assets.

In 2013, Silicon Ranch pioneered utility-scale solar in Georgia when we commissioned our 30 MWac Social Circle Solar Farm, which was the largest solar plant east of the Mississippi River at the time.

Since 2015, Silicon Ranch has partnered with Green Power EMC and its member EMCs to invest over $3 billion in communities across the state, employing more than 6,000 Georgians to install well over one gigawatt of solar capacity.

Today, Silicon Ranch remains the recognized leader for solar in the state, with just under 2,000 MWac— operating, under construction, and contracted—across 23 utility-scale projects, primarily with Georgia co-ops.

When we are searching for land to use for a project, we consider several requirements. The land must be relatively flat land, big enough to house the facility, and near an electrical substation or distribution level transmission lines. We choose properties that meet these requirements. This site meets each of those criteria.

These projects benefit Georgia utilities and EMCs, and their customers, by providing a reliable and cost-effective source of energy. Communities across the state benefit from the significant new tax revenues these projects bring. As the long-term owner of the land where these facilities are located, Silicon Ranch is a local taxpayer for the life of each project, while requiring little to no county services in return. In other words, the taxes generated from our projects are entirely additive to the tax base. The new revenues support infrastructure, local schools, and other community-identified priorities, both immediately and for the long term. The company’s solar project investments across the state of Georgia total over $3 billion through the end of 2025 and we will pay over $180 million dollars in property taxes as the long-term owner over the life of these projects.

Silicon Ranch maintains a commitment to own and operate every one of our solar projects for the long term. In the 12-year history of the company, Silicon Ranch has never sold a project, which means our neighbors throughout Georgia can be confident that Silicon Ranch will stand behind the performance of each of our projects day in and day out as a long term community member.

Solar photovoltaic panels are made of tempered glass and pass rigorous hail and other weather testing. The two most common types of solar panels—silicon-based and thin film—are both required to pass the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Leaching Characteristic Procedure test, meaning that these panels are nonhazardous.[2][3]

[2] Southern Environmental Law Center (PDF)

[3] Hindawi

When we search for land for a project, we take several factors into account. The land needs to be relatively flat, of the right scale to meet the needs of our utility partners, and near an electrical substation or distribution level transmission lines. We choose properties that meet these requirements and then work with the landowner to negotiate a price to purchase the property.

Silicon Ranch’s decision to purchase property rather than lease it (which is what most developers do) underscores the company’s long-term commitment to the communities we serve. Many community leaders point to this differentiated approach when asked why they prefer to work with Silicon Ranch. For example, when Silicon Ranch purchased the site for a solar facility in a rural community in southwest Georgia, the Chair of the County Commission said, “When they purchased the property here, they became owners, just like anyone else who owns a house or owns land. They are taxpayers, they are part of the community just like I am.”

Silicon Ranch typically uses the term solar project, solar facility, or solar farm. “Solar farm” is a term that is commonly used in the industry to describe the way solar uses land and the sun to harvest a “crop” in the form of energy generation.

Silicon Ranch’s solar project investments across the state of Georgia total over $3 billion through the end of 2025. These projects require no capital investment from the community or the utility.

Our projects inject counties across Georgia with significant new tax revenues—totaling over $180 million. These revenues support infrastructure and other community-identified priorities and will continue for the duration of each project. During this time, we are also minimal users of county services such as roads, water, etc. Our significant capital investments in these facilities result in higher property taxes paid by Silicon Ranch to the counties where we locate our projects.

It is a common misconception that ground-mounted solar farms decrease nearby property values.

Third-party studies examining property value in states across the United States demonstrate that large-scale solar arrays have no meaningful impact on the value of adjacent properties, and in some cases may even have positive effects. Additionally, proximity to solar farms does not deter the sales of agricultural or residential land.[1]

[1] Solar Energy Industries Association® (PDF)

Exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) is a part of normal life from the appliances used in our homes to the cell phones we use and the electrical lines in our neighborhoods. Exposure to low-level EMFs has been studied extensively, and there is no evidence that it is harmful to human health, according to the World Health Organization.[4]
Electricity from solar panels and transmission to the power grid emits extremely weak EMFs. At the perimeter fencing of a solar project, the EMF exposure is far lower than that found inside a typical home.

[4] World Health Organization

From natural gas to coal to solar, all parts of the energy sector receive some form of government support. These incentives enable new technologies to grow and scale to a point where they can compete on a level-playing field. In the case of solar, the only federal incentive is in the form of the Solar Investment Tax Credit.

Silicon Ranch utilizes the Solar Investment Tax Credit in our fully integrated model that yields a seamless process through development, construction, and operation of our facilities. Our projects require no up-front capital from customers or the communities where facilities are located. In fact, because Silicon Ranch becomes a property owner and taxpayer in the community, a project will prove a net positive for the local tax base of the surrounding community. Additionally, as solar is the lowest-cost form of new electricity generation, ratepayers benefit from the Investment Tax Credit through lower electricity rates.

It depends on the project, but typically projects interconnect to existing transmission lines adjacent to the property.

No. Silicon Ranch constructs photovoltaic facilities, which absorb solar energy rather than reflect it, and therefore do not heat up.

There are companies that place solar panels on top of warehouses, commercial buildings, and residential houses, but this is not what Silicon Ranch does. The first part to consider is location – utility scale solar plants need to be near a viable transmission or distribution line to allow for connection to the grid to prevent needing long, expensive transmission lines. Additionally, consolidating the solar plant into a concentrated location allows for more efficient and effective connection to the grid.

The second part to consider is the size – large warehouses tend to be between 500,000 and 1,000,000 square feet, which is approximately 12 – 24 acres. Silicon Ranch aims to build utility scale solar plants that require larger areas to generate the amount of energy necessary. Another factor is that not all existing buildings were designed or built to hold the structural load of a solar plant on the rooftops.

While there are companies that build solar plants on landfills, Silicon Ranch does not do so because building solar plants on landfills presents permitting and construction challenges, environmental challenges, such as avoiding damage to the landfill capping system, and engineering challenges, such as potential settlement of the landfill area that can lead to structural damage to the solar generating equipment.

We aim to deliver power into the communities that the power will serve. Each community has a range of siting options available, including both rooftop and ground mounted. In addition to questions of scale and structural stability, rooftop is by far the most expensive option for the installation of solar energy. Ground-mounted solar energy is the lowest cost form of new electricity generation in the United States today, and it is an important energy source for helping to keep rates low.

This will depend on the time of day, but generally, no more than ten feet high. The panels at many of our newer sites rotate to follow the sun throughout the day. At the beginning and end of the day, the solar panels will be at their highest as they will be angled 60 degrees. Around lunchtime, the panels will be at their lowest.

The supporting structures that hold the modules are designed to withstand wind loads of 105-120 mph.

We take intentional steps in our facility design, operations, and land management to ensure that stormwater runoff from each site will be reduced or not increased from the conditions that exist when we buy the property.

Most of our projects are proposed at sites where the existing land is agricultural, wooded, or a combination of both. Once a solar plant is constructed, impervious surfaces (foundation pads, equipment, gravel roadways, etc.) cover a relatively minor amount of the land housing it. So, while solar panels will be installed on the land, the stormwater will flow off the panels and across the vegetation, allowing for the water to infiltrate and evaporate or be absorbed and replenish the aquifer. Moreover, our regenerative land management practices increase vegetative cover and build soil organic matter and looser soils, leading to more water infiltration, increased water retention, and less stormwater runoff.

The reduction in stormwater runoff peak flow improves downstream flooding issues. Existing natural resources (e.g., wetlands, ponds, streams, floodplains, etc.) and associated buffer areas are field identified, delineated, reviewed by the appropriate agencies, and marked during construction to be protected. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to temporarily or permanently impact a natural resource to facilitate a crossing location (e.g., access road-stream crossing). In these situations, we secure all necessary permits and we implement associated mitigative measures.

With 23 projects in Georgia operating, under construction, or contracted, Silicon Ranch’s solar projects in Georgia create more than 6,500 construction jobs. We maintain a strong preference for hiring locally and from the military veteran community.

Once a project is approved, our Project Delivery team will work with local partners, such as the chamber of commerce, to develop a plan to engage qualified, local firms and invite them to bid on the project.

Make sure to go to the Contact Us page and fill out the Contact form for Vendors. A project representative will get back to you with more details on available work and the timing of proposals.

There are also periodic announcements regarding job fairs for local residents interested in working on these projects.

There is some truck and trailer traffic during the construction of projects, including 18-wheelers delivering supplies during installation. Prior to and throughout construction, Silicon Ranch coordinates with the community to provide a more precise operation schedule as the construction of a specific project approaches. Once operational, our sites are remotely monitored and rarely visited except for periodic and routine maintenance. This is usually accomplished with 1-2 pick-up trucks or vans, depending on the crew.

Yes, we always prefer to hire qualified, local firms when possible.

Silicon Ranch has a systematic approach to health and safety and is committed to the goal of zero recordable safety incidents. Accordingly, the team gives every consideration to safety and control measures as part of overall project design. In addition to his 25+ years of environmental, health and safety experience, Silicon Ranch’s Director of Environmental, Health, Safety, and Security—Jim Barfield, CSP, CHST—has deep credentials to lead the company’s approach to safety. Along with qualifications that include BSCP certifications, FEMA incident command, accident investigation, and OSHA 30 qualifications, he is a veteran of the United States Army as a Health Specialist of Preventative Medicine, where he educated personnel on pathogen exposure, disease and occupational illness prevention, enforced military regulations governing sanitary practice and industrial hygiene, and investigated and controlled sources of pathogen and toxin exposure both inside and outside of United States borders.

Our projects across Georgia follow and adhere to all local, state, and federal regulations including fencing, electric codes, and signage. Additionally, our projects will be monitored 24/7 so that any disturbance to the system can be quickly and safely acted upon.

Once construction commences, external to the site, we post appropriate warnings in traffic ways to alert drivers of impending truck entrances to the roadway. Internal to the site there are controls in place to regulate vehicles and heavy equipment on site.

The materials and components that comprise a solar energy generating facility are not hazardous to humans. Silicon Ranch prioritizes protection of the environment.

There is noise associated with the construction of projects, but Silicon Ranch seeks to minimize any potential disruption by limiting construction activities to normal business hours. Once operational, the sites do not generate appreciable noise. The inverters have a quiet hum when the plant is generating during daylight hours, but the noise is not audible beyond the property line. The inverters are typically located centrally on the project site, far enough away from neighboring houses to be imperceptible.

A solar farm is a collection of interconnected solar panels that are strategically placed to maximize their ability to capture sunlight and convert it to electricity. Sunlight contains little packets of energy called photons. When photons from the sun reach the solar panels, it causes energy electrons within those panels to move and in turn create an electrical current. That electric current is then sent to an inverter which converts it from DC to AC. That power is then pushed out from the solar site onto the transmission lines where the electricity is then distributed to households and businesses.

Once operational, our projects do not generate any noise that can be heard outside the facility fencing. The inverters have a quiet hum, not unlike that heard from a residential transformer. We typically have 60’-40’ setbacks around the exterior of the site, with a 100’ setback from the interior parcel. Given the location of the inverters within the fenced array, sounds from these projects are imperceptible.

Solar modules do not cause glare in houses because modules are designed to absorb (rather than reflect) as much light as possible and are covered with a protective layer of anti-reflective matte glass.

No. Responsible solar development can actually enhance, not harm, wildlife habitat.

Silicon Ranch’s approach to land management has demonstrated that responsible solar development can improve wildlife habitat. For instance, we have seen a measurable increase in bobwhite quail populations at our Hazlehurst projects in Jeff Davis County, where the previous regime of intensive tillage and herbicide use for cotton-peanut-corn farms damaged bobwhite quail populations over the past 80 years. With a transition to zero soil disturbance after construction, perennial vegetation, and properly timed mowing events, these solar projects create ground nesting bird habitat where bobwhite quail and other wildlife thrive. These healthy populations then spill over into adjacent hunting properties, where neighbors share in the benefit of this work.

In addition, Silicon Ranch has developed and funded a private Gopher Tortoise Sanctuary in partnership with Georgia Department of Natural Resources on the company’s privately owned lands in Clay County. Working together, Silicon Ranch and the Department have relocated several tortoises from surrounding projects, and have room for more. In Lee County, Silicon Ranch intentionally designed in wildlife corridors at the DeSoto project site.

Silicon Ranch takes wildlife habitat very seriously, and our investment in this sanctuary and these wildlife corridors is testament.

Our Regenerative Energy platform is an outcome driven, third-party verified holistic standard of excellence for the design, construction, and operation of solar farms.

For our ecological monitoring, we contract with Savory Institute Ecological Outcome Verification Professional Monitors to take soil samples and perform the short- and long-term ecological monitoring.

We measure and third-party verify our ecological outcomes using the Savory Institute’s Land to Market Ecological Outcome Verification assessment methodology, which was developed in collaboration with leading soil scientists, ecologists, agronomists, and an extensive network of regenerative land managers around the world. This methodology measures the health of the land as a living system. In 2022, the Savory Institute certified land housing seven Silicon Ranch solar facilities as ‘regenerative’.

If we conduct a soil carbon project at a site, we contract with Earth Optics to measure soil carbon. The soil is also tested at four laboratories, including one for agriculture analysis, during our Geotechnical testing prior to construction.

Yes, our projects follow and adhere to all local, state, and federal regulations including fencing, electric codes, and signage. Additionally, Silicon Ranch projects are monitored 24/7 so that any disturbance to the system can be quickly and safely acted upon.

With 23 projects in Georgia operating, under construction, or contracted, Silicon Ranch’s solar projects in Georgia create more than 6,500 jobs.

Our goal at Silicon Ranch is to leave the land as good, if not better, than when we initially find it.

During operation, we maintain the land using regenerative land management practices that promote long-term, deep-rooted vegetation and faster plant growth cycles. This approach, which we implement under our Regenerative Energy® platform, not only multiplies the typical beneficial outcomes of a solar project but also creates new benefits, including healing degraded soils, improving ecosystem function, and increasing biodiversity of both plants and wildlife, as well as pollinator habitat.  

Regenerative Energy came to be in large part as a result of an invitation from White Oak Pastures owner Will Harris to Silicon Ranch to visit his family’s world-renowned regenerative ranch in Bluffton. Harris introduced Silicon Ranch leadership to the methods of planned livestock grazing and other regenerative agricultural practices that his family had been deploying at White Oak Pastures for more than two decades. The result was a new partnership and Silicon Ranch’s innovative model for the solar industry, Regenerative Energy, our holistic approach to project design, construction, and land management that we now deploy across thousands of acres of land that we own and manage in the United States.

 

We recognize Georgia’s pride in the unique communities that make up the state and will implement the regenerative land management practices that are appropriate to each community to continue that legacy, in partnership with the local community and surrounding area.

Silicon Ranch aims to refrain from the use of any pesticides at our projects, unless required by state law where a project is located to mitigate noxious weeds determined injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops or, in some instances, to prevent small targeted amounts of vegetation from growing up into equipment that would interfere with plant performance and impede the facility’s ability to deliver power to serve homes and businesses in the long-term. When circumstances require that we use pesticides, Silicon Ranch is committed to minimizing their use, meaning that we only spot spray EPA approved herbicides – which are commonly used on timber farms – when required. We never broadcast spray herbicides or pesticides.

We recognize that our responsibility as a good neighbor doesn’t stop at our fence line. Rather than viewing the land housing our solar projects as a liability, we recognize that land and vegetation are valuable natural resources and biological assets. When land and vegetation are managed properly, and in alignment with natural systems, we can revitalize soils, restore grassland ecosystems, increase biodiversity, sequester carbon, improve water quality, and build better solar facilities. Ultimately, through our Regenerative Energy approach, our goal is to leave the land better than we found it.

We recognize Georgia’s pride in the unique ecosystems that make up the state and we are committed to designing, building, and operating our solar facilities in a way that continues that legacy, in partnership with communities throughout Georgia.

Our solar projects are designed with reliability and the highest performance in mind over their 40-year useful lifetimes. This 40-year view means we design the entire plant and select equipment to last up to 40 years. Unlike some developers who may focus more on meeting minimum design criteria to reduce short-term costs, Silicon Ranch places more emphasis on reliability and the requirements of long-term ownership.

At the end of 40 years, our Georgia projects will either be repowered with new solar equipment or decommissioned. If a project is decommissioned, all system components will be removed and the ground will be stabilized. All costs associated with the decommissioning process will be the responsibility of Silicon Ranch, not the community or local government. As Silicon Ranch will continue to own the property and will remain a member of the community, we are invested in ensuring that decommissioning will occur safely and responsibly, and that the site remains in excellent condition.

Silicon Ranch purchases solar panels for our projects with end-of-life in mind and we seek the most cost-effective and environmentally responsible path for recycling modules at their end of life.

We are committed to leading industry advancements in recycling. To process-end-of life solar modules from Silicon Ranch projects, we have partnered with two pioneers in US-based solar industry panel recycling: SOLARCYCLE, which offers an advanced recycling platform that recovers approximately 95% of the value of solar panel materials, including glass and aluminum, as well as silicon, copper, and silicon, and First Solar, which recovers approximately 90 percent of materials. Recovered module materials will help fuel the growing U.S. solar manufacturing industry with a domestic supply of materials essential to the production of new solar panels.

Our industry leading recycling partnerships support our commitments to advance domestic solar manufacturing, a circular solar economy that reduces material use and recaptures “waste” as a resource to manufacture new panels, and economic development opportunities in communities across the country.

The remaining part of the panel materials, which are made of plastics, do not have much value. SOLARCYCLE is committed to zero waste, however, and the company has found off-takers who will use the plastic for secondary applications to avoid sending panel materials to a landfill.

Silicon Ranch exists to help build stronger, healthier, more resilient communities.

Below is a sampling of the Georgia communities we are proud to serve.

Snapshot of Silicon Ranch in Jeff Davis County

Projects: 6

Generation Capacity: 400+ MWac 

Power Equivalent: 28,000+ homes annually

New Tax Revenues: $45 million over 40 years

Capital Investment: $600+ million

Charitable Contributions: $200,000 over 25 years

Construction Jobs: 1,100+

Operations and Management Jobs: 15

Regenerative Energy® Agrivoltaics: 2,000 sheep on 1,700 acres of working ranch among solar panels (County will eventually be home to 3,500 acres of working ranch with the completion of the Snipesville III project)

energy-technician-land-manager-video-cover

Snapshot of Silicon Ranch in Lee County

Projects: 3

Generation Capacity: 250 MWac

Power Equivalent: 47,000+ homes annually

New Tax Revenues: $25 million+ over 40 years

Capital investment: $380+ million

Charitable Contributions: $250,000 over 25 years

Construction Jobs: 800

Operations and Management Jobs: 10

“Through strategic partnerships with private-sector leaders like Silicon Ranch, our electric cooperatives have made great strides as economic development engines for local communities across Georgia. This is a promising step toward ‘A New Day in Rural Georgia’ powered by the sun.”

– Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp

Regenerative Energy® in Georgia

Play Video

Since Silicon Ranch’s launch of Regenerative Energy in 2019, Georgia has become the heart of our agrivoltaics platform, which co-locates regenerative agriculture with energy production to revitalize ecosystems–making our communities healthier.  Regenerative Energy is in large part a result of a conversation—that resulted in a long-term partnership—with world-renowned regenerative rancher and Georgia’s own Will Harris of White Oak Pastures. 

Over the past four years, we have implemented a number of firsts in the state through this platform, including being the first solar developer to acquire and manage a company-owned flock of sheep. In 2023, we are regeneratively grazing and restoring approximately 5,000 acres of land at five of our Georgia projects.

What is it like to live next to one of our solar farms?

Hear about it firsthand from our neighbors in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Play Video

Silicon Ranch in Georgia Timeline

SRC-yellow-solar-farm

2013

Commissions first utility-scale solar farm in Georgia history, Social Circle, at the time the largest project east of the Mississippi River (30 MWac)

SRC-yellow-home

2015

Begins construction on Hazlehurst Solar Farm, our first project to serve Georgia’s EMCs through Green Power EMC

2016

Commissions a new solar farm in Hazlehurst. In a national competition the project is selected as the year’s “Best of the Best” Energy Project by Engineering News-Record

2017

Silicon Ranch and Green Power EMC announce a landmark agreement to bring an additional 200 MWac of solar energy online by the year 2020. Senate Regulated Industries Chairman Rick Jeffares (R, McDonough) proclaims that “Georgia welcomes the jobs and investment created by Silicon Ranch to build and install these (solar facilities)”

farmer

2018

  • Contracts to construct our first project with Walton EMC 100, a MWac solar farm to help support Meta’s Georgia operations 
  • Meets world-renowned regenerative rancher Will Harris of White Oak Pastures, forming a pivotal partnership that laid the groundwork for Regenerative Energy
SRC-yellow-fund

2019

  • Launches Regenerative Energy in large part as a result of partnering with Georgia’s own Will Harris of White Oak Pastures
  • Governor Kemp proclaims “a new day in rural Georgia powered by the sun,” announcing Silicon Ranch’s $150M investment in Early County
  • Walton EMC and Silicon Ranch “Flip the Switch” on Bancroft Station, the first project serving Meta’s Georgia operations 
SRC-yellow-home

2020

  • Named “Most Forward-Thinking” Contractor by Solar Power World
  • Receives Savory Institute’s first-ever certification of solar land as ‘regenerative’
  • Announces $55M investment in Houston County through a project located adjacent to I-75, which will become the state’s most visible solar farm 
  • Commissions two new facilities that support Meta’sGeorgia operations 
SRC-yellow-solar-farm

2021

  • Launches first-of-its-kind program to train and employ agrivoltaic technicians to implement both regenerative land management and solar maintenance at our Snipesville Solar Ranch in Jeff Davis County
  • Commissions five new solar projects with Walton EMC and Green Power EMC to support Meta’s Georgia operations 
  • Joined by Governor Kemp to break ground on new project in Lee County
SRC-yellow-fund

2022

  • Acquires first-ever solar company-owned flock of sheep to restore grassland ecosystems, becoming one of Georgia’s largest sheep farmers 
  • Contracts three new solar farms, totaling 560 MWac, with Walton EMC to support Meta’s Georgia operations 
  • Manages first ever lambing season with our company-owned flock of sheep in Jeff Davis County

2023

Launches CattleTracker™ in Early County, an R&D project that aims to prove that cattle grazing among solar panels can be good for solar energy generation, good for the land, and good for the animal

Testimonials from our Georgia Partners

Sign Up for Project Updates

If you would like to receive project updates via email, sign up below