GreyStone Power is among 32 electric cooperatives in Georgia that now collectively share in power production from a new 200-megawatt (MWAC) solar portfolio that includes three utility-scale projects in south Georgia. GreyStone has a 40 MW share of the 200 MW portfolio. The total capacity of the three sites is distributed across two counties in the southwestern and southeastern parts of the state and will collectively provide enough low-cost, renewable energy to serve more than 35,000 EMC households. As a clean energy source, its environmental offset is equivalent to more than 350,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

The first site, known as Hazlehurst III, was commissioned in December 2019 and is a 40 MW facility located in Jeff Davis County. In August 2020, a second site was commissioned, the 74 MW Terrell Solar Farm, in Terrell County. Most recently, the third and final site in the portfolio was commissioned in December 2020, Snipesville I, an 86 MW facility also located in Jeff Davis County. GreyStone receives 20 percent of the output from each of the three projects.  

All three sites feature single-axis tracking modules that rotate to follow the sun – a technology advancement that produces approximately 20 percent more energy than fixed-tilt installations, allowing participating cooperatives to maximize the energy output. 

Green Power EMC, the renewable energy provider owned by 38 Georgia Electric Membership Corporations including GreyStone Power, is purchasing the full power output of the three solar facilities and providing it to participating electric cooperatives.  

GreyStone Power President/CEO Gary Miller said energy received from the 200-megawatt (MWAC) portfolio will be added to the electric cooperative’s diverse fuel mix. 

“We’re proud to participate in this innovative renewable energy project that helps us offer both clean and affordable power,” said Miller. “Solar power has become a vital part of our diversified energy portfolio used to serve our members as efficiently and economically as possible. With this addition to our energy portfolio, renewables represent a little more than 10 percent of GreyStone’s total resource capacity for the coming summer,” Miller added.

Green Power EMC President Jeff Pratt said that Georgia’s cooperatives are driving renewable energy growth in Georgia and delivering long-term benefits to the communities they serve. “Through collaboration, Georgia’s EMCs have been able to secure lower-cost solar power by taking advantage of economies of scale. And with their communities in mind, those savings are then passed on to their member-consumers,” he said.

Green Power EMC is a not-for-profit cooperative founded in 2001 to support EMCs in their search for Georgia’s renewable resources. The primary efforts of Green Power EMC have been to find, screen, analyze, and negotiate power purchase agreements with Georgia-based renewable resource providers. In addition to sourcing renewable energy, Green Power EMC provides education programs that help Member consumers learn both the challenges and opportunities of utilizing renewable energy. For more information about the EMCs’ renewable energy efforts in Georgia, visit greenpoweremc.com or follow Green Power EMC on Twitter or Facebook.