(Credit: Canva)Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta) has announced seven new solar projects in Georgia and Tennessee totaling 720 megawatts (MWAC). Along with the support of Walton Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Nashville-based Silicon Ranch will provide 100% renewable energy for Meta's regional activities.
In accordance with the agreements, Silicon Ranch will finance, develop, manage and maintain the solar facilities during the course of each of the seven projects, bringing significant investment to rural communities throughout the region.
Silicon Ranch's pioneering Regenerative Energy model of land management, a comprehensive strategy that co-locates renewable energy generation with regenerative agricultural methods, will be deployed in each of the solar facilities supplying Meta's operations. In January, Silicon Ranch partnered with Green Power EMC and Georgia Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs) to provide funding for three utility-scale solar facilities in the state of Georgia.
In Georgia, Walton EMC recently signed contracts with Silicon Ranch for three new solar installations totaling 560 MWAC on behalf of Meta as part of the electric cooperative's pledge to provide Meta with 100% sustainable energy.
Earlier this year, META broke ground on a 70-megawatt solar facility in Tennessee. The McKellar Solar Farm is part of an effort between the Tennessee Valley Authority, Meta, Jackson Energy Authority (JEA) and Silicon Ranch. The project was first revealed in August 2020 and is part of TVA’s Green Invest program, which helps organizations and businesses like Meta with sustainable energy projects in the area. TVA has invested $3 billion to bring more than 2,000 MW of solar energy to its service area since 2018.
The recently completed projects and the seven new facilities announced today expand Meta’s renewable energy leadership, as highlighted by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) in its recently published Solar Means Business 2022 report. According to SEIA, Meta has procured more solar and brought more solar capacity online since 2020 than any other business in the U.S.
