Nashville, TN (July 21, 2020) – Silicon Ranch has been selected as 2020’s ‘Most Forward-Thinking’ company by Solar Power World for its pioneering work with Regenerative EnergyTM. In addition to earning this prestigious honor, Silicon Ranch was further recognized as the #2 solar developer in the publication’s annual rankings of the Top Solar Contractors, up a spot from its third-place finish in 2019.
Solar Power World is the solar industry’s leading source for technology and development installation news. Its ‘Most Forward-Thinking’ award celebrates solar installers devoted to making progress in energy and beyond in hopes of a more sustainable future, while its 2020 Top Solar Contractors list ranks solar contractors according to their influence in the U.S. solar industry in 2019.
“The Solar Power World team is so pleased to highlight more than 400 companies on the 2020 Top Solar Contractors list, especially during this unprecedented time,” said Kelsey Misbrener, senior editor of Solar Power World. “All contractors featured on the 2020 list reported strong 2019 installation numbers and are continuing to stand tall this year.”
“Solar Power World deserves tremendous credit for all it does to advance our industry, and we at Silicon Ranch are honored to be selected as this year’s winner for its ‘Most Forward-Thinking’ award and for this recognition of our work to drive solar power forward as an industry innovator,” said Matt Beasley, Chief Commercial Officer at Silicon Ranch. “As long-term owners and operators of our projects, Silicon Ranch is deeply committed to our partners and communities, and every day we seek to deliver enhanced value through a steadfast pursuit of continuous improvement.”
Nashville-based Silicon Ranch, the U.S. solar platform for Shell and one of America’s largest independent solar power producers, owns and operates more than 135 solar facilities in 14 states coast to coast. The company has been hailed as pioneering for its role in the development of the solar industry in the Southeast, including the first utility-scale projects in Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, and Arkansas, where it worked with local partners to challenge the status quo and demonstrate the technical and economic viability of utility-scale solar in those markets.
Silicon Ranch works with a diverse set of customers and partners, including utilities, military and defense facilities, small to large industrial facilities, and Fortune 500 businesses, all of which are increasingly demanding their energy come from renewables. In meeting these demands, Silicon Ranch creates custom solutions that exceed expectations, such as the unique interconnects at the Millington Solar Farm at a U.S. naval base and the solar farm that helped Volkswagen establish the world’s first LEED platinum automotive manufacturing plant.
Through its innovative, holistic approach to land management, Silicon Ranch is advancing the solar industry’s perception of land housing its facilities as an asset as opposed to a liability. In 2018 the company launched Regenerative Energy™, a platform that co-locates solar generation with regenerative agriculture to sequester carbon and restore soil health. This platform uses managed grazing to control and enhance the soil and vegetation under the solar panels, where thousands of livestock are deliberately rotated throughout the power plant, mimicking the symbiotic relationship between grasslands and large herds of native grazing animals.
At the company’s Bancroft Station Solar Farm, the world’s first new-build site to incorporate Regenerative Energy™ in its design and home to the Regenerative Energy TM Center of Excellence, tens of thousands of pasture-raised poultry provide both natural pest management and organic fertilization that enhances soil heath, while nearly two thousand sheep help control vegetation and restore the grassland ecosystem.
As part of this Regenerative Energy™ platform, Silicon Ranch’s end-of-life road maps include plans for module recycling and reuse. In an effort to encourage an industry-wide adoption of dual land use practices, the company is working to share its findings and outcomes of Regenerative Energy™ through a codified set of standards and reporting methods.
The company has made extensive efforts to minimize impacts in the construction process of its facilities, such as land grading, using advanced solar trackers from NEXTracker that adjust to undulating terrain, creating 100- to 200-ft buffer zones between fenced solar sites and surrounding tree lines to create softer transitions from forest to open space, and mulching and spreading downed trees, adding organic matter to the soil.
Ranking #2 in the Top Solar Contractors list was a result of Silicon Ranch’s successful completion of nearly 300 megawatts of new solar capacity across four states in 2019. In so doing, Silicon Ranch maintained its unblemished track record of project execution and has now successfully commissioned every project it has contracted in its history.
###
About Silicon Ranch
Silicon Ranch is the U.S. solar platform for Shell and one of the largest independent solar power producers in the country. Silicon Ranch’s work with a diverse set of customers across the country, including Fortune 500 companies and electric cooperatives, demonstrates its ability to customize solutions that ensure successful outcomes. The company’s operating portfolio includes more than 135 facilities across 14 states from New York to California, including the first large-scale solar projects in Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, and Mississippi. To learn more, visit siliconranch.com and by following the company on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
About Solar Power World
Solar Power World is the premier media outlet for the U.S. solar market and has the largest solar installer, contractor and developer audience in the industry. Since 2011, Solar Power World has helped U.S. solar contractors — including installers, developers and EPCs in all markets — grow their businesses and do their jobs better. Solar Power World produces daily online news content, weekly e-newsletters, bimonthly print issues, regular webinars, podcasts, videos and social media. Solar Power World publishes the annual Top Solar Contractors list, the most recognized listing of solar companies in the United States.