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Silicon Ranch solar and cattle farm in Christiana
Silicon Ranch solar and cattle farm in Christiana
The cows didn’t mind the large tent and event outside their newfound pasture on a country road in Christiana.
Rather, they kept grazing under the solar panels — a new concept for Nashville’s Silicon Ranch, an energy company focused on solar and carbon solutions.
The 40-acre solar farm will provide energy in a new partnership with Middle Tennessee Electric Corp., which services homes and businesses south and east of Nashville. In a new twist, it will also serve as a working cattle farm, supporting 14 head already.
“From the beginning, we have always asked the question: ‘How can we make solar do more?’ CEO and cofounder Reagan Farr said. “We have done small projects, but also built projects that cover thousands of acres. How can we make it meaningful to the communities? We became accidental landowners. This is the beginning to scale this to all of our ranches and opens up a tremendous amount of opportunity. This is still an incredible economic opportunity.”
Nick de Vries, chief technology officer for Silicon Ranch, hit on the fact that having cattle and solar panels was a complex solution to grazing, but one worth implementing.
The project required making the technology with the solar panels to swivel based on where the cattle walk and graze. The company was awarded two patents for its innovation. Silicon Ranch already carries out this process with sheep in Georgia, becoming a leading producer of the livestock in the Southeast.
“There’s value in agriculture,” de Vries said. “This is to have a better operation. We have to deliver reliable energy at an affordable price. We needed a design that was good for ag, ecology and community. That’s what drove me here.”
For MTE, this farm will provide electricity to nearly 700 homes and businesses on the grid. MTE CEO Chris Jones said the project was a no-brainer, and one they hope they can replicate again in the future.
“I want to speak clearly and practically about why we chose this path,” Jones said. “It’s not just a nice green thing to do. It’s not so we can check a box. This makes our service more reliable. This saves our members money. This is a good productive use of the land. Things that are often contradictory are complementary here. This is a new power generation that produces speed to market. This is solar and agriculture. Right here, we are seeing the first commercial deployment. We are honored to be the first.”
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