Silicon Ranch reports on solar projects

Rob Riley and Morey Hill, with Silicon Ranch, a Nashville, Tenn., based solar power generating company, visited the meeting of the Marshall County Board of Supervisors Sept. 17 to report on four projects in the county.

SR Byhalia is in operation and generates 4.75 mega watts of power on its 105-acre site. The site is located off I-22 and partners with Northcentral Electric.

SR Marshall is a 4.75 mega watt site on a 100-acres and expects to get into commercial operation by the end of 2026, Hill said.

SR Marshall is located near Cayce Road and Highway 302.

SR Mt. Pleasant, is a 50 mega watt site to be located on 1,200 acres directly south of Highway 302. It could be operational by 2028. It’s partner is to be determined.

SR West Marshall is a 4.75 mega watt site situated on 60 acres, located directly south of Highway 302. It will partner with Northcentral and is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.

Solar Ranch is a Nashville, Tenn., based company that generates solar power all across the country, a lot in the Tennessee Valley and also at one facility in Canada, Hill said.

The company is environmentally friendly and raises sheep under the solar panels, uses no pesticides, and plants non-invasive grasses, Hill said.

“You build, develop and then sell?” asked District 1 supervisor Charles Terry.

Riley said it is hard to know if the company will ever sell a facility. He said a solar farm has a life of about 30 years and that when the facility is retired all the equipment is removed from the site, recovered and recycled.

Silicon Ranch has projects spanning across 17 states from east coast to west coast. The company is committed to excellent stewardship of the land. It designs, builds, and manages projects in a manner that restores soil health, biodiversity and wildlife habitat, leaving the land better than it finds it.