Denmark, Tenn.—Silicon Ranch has introduced the holistic management of grazing sheep to control vegetation and regenerate the land at its 121-acre Providence Solar Farm in Madison County. The Nashville-based company is one of America’s largest owner-operators of solar energy plants and recently unveiled its Regenerative Energy™ platform, a transformative new model of land management for the solar industry.
Although Silicon Ranch announced its plans for Regenerative Energy™ in late June, the company has been deploying the practice in Tennessee since April, when approximately 130 Dorper ewes and rams arrived at the Providence Solar Farm. By managing grazing animals holistically to sequester carbon in the soil, paired with trample seeding of native grasses, manure fertilization, and other regenerative agriculture practices, Silicon Ranch not only increases the health of its land and the associated ecosystems but also provides a pastoral landscape on its solar facilities.
“As the long-term owner and operator of every project in our portfolio, including Providence Solar, we at Silicon Ranch are continuously investigating ways in which we can be better stewards of our land and better corporate citizens in the communities we serve,” said Reagan Farr, President and CEO of Silicon Ranch Corporation. “We’re proud to pioneer responsive and holistic land management practices to ensure a healthy planet and healthy communities and are pleased to apply these principles here in our home state of Tennessee.”
As the largest developer, owner, and operator of solar facilities based in the Tennessee Valley, Silicon Ranch is transitioning other operating projects in Tennessee and Mississippi to regenerative agriculture practices. Its Regenerative Energy™ platform is an outcomes-driven, third-party verified, certified product that combines clean electricity generation with carbon sequestration, ecosystem restoration, and rural economic revitalization using animal impact and photosynthesis.
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) buys the clean electricity generated by Silicon Ranch’s solar projects throughout the Valley. The Regenerative Energy™ program supports TVA’s mission to provide clean, reliable, and affordable electricity and to uphold its commitment to environmental stewardship.
“Solar energy is becoming a larger part of TVA’s future, and we are excited to partner with Silicon Ranch as they enable their solar farms to generate more than clean energy,” said Doug Perry, TVA’s Vice President of Commercial Energy Solutions. “Regenerative Energy™ provides environmental, social, and economic benefits that can be realized at other locations across the country with methods developed and piloted by one of our local partners here in the Tennessee Valley.”
To deliver Regenerative Energy™ at its solar projects in Tennessee and Mississippi, Silicon Ranch has partnered with renowned regenerative rancher Trent Hendricks of Cabriejo Ranch. Hendricks works with Silicon Ranch to deploy holistic practices on these sites.
“Cabriejo Ranch is grateful for the opportunity to help Silicon Ranch do the right thing for Tennessee and the world by bringing animal impact and holistic, regenerative approaches to the solar land base,” said Trent Hendricks, Managing Partner of Cabriejo Ranch. “Everything is connected and doing things in alignment with natural systems advances the health of the whole and every part and helps ensure the healthiest planet possible for our children today and for future generations.”
Outcomes of Regenerative Energy™ projects will be verified by an independent third party and will vary by project and local conditions. The spectrum of outcomes includes, among others, the following benefits:
- Sequestered carbon, biologically active soil, and improved soil formation and stabilization
- Improved air and water quality and increased water quantity
- Increased biodiversity and enhanced overall ecosystem functions
- Established pollinator habitat and endangered species habitat
- Direct and indirect local job creation, job training, empowered community participation, distributed economic impacts, and reciprocal knowledge transfers
- Generational equity, community resiliency, and volunteer opportunities
About Regenerative Energy™
Regenerative Energy™ was established by Silicon Ranch Corporation in 2018 as a transformative new model for the solar industry to improve the way the solar industry manages its land and positively impact millions of acres over time. By building and operating solar power plants and caring for land in alignment with natural systems, Regenerative Energy™ delivers clean energy, ecosystem restoration, carbon sequestration, and beneficial rural impacts. Regenerative Energy™ is a holistic approach to land management on solar farms that provides a nature-based solution to climate change. For more information about Regenerative Energy™, visit siliconranch.com/regenerativeenergy. Everything is connected.
About Silicon Ranch Corporation
Silicon Ranch is the U.S. solar platform for Shell and one of the largest independent solar power producers in the country. Silicon Ranch develops to own all of its projects for the long-term, a distinction that means the company is deeply committed to its partners and communities and stands behind the performance of its facilities day in and day out. The company’s operating portfolio includes more than 120 facilities across 14 states from New York to California, including the first large-scale solar projects in Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi. To learn more, please visit srcoldsitestg.wpengine.com and follow on Twitter @SiliconRanchCo.
About Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.
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