Jun 02, 2026
Dwayne Page
GreenWave Solar of Murfreesboro is a step closer to developing a solar farm project here.
The Smithville Board of Zoning Appeals  Monday afternoon held a public hearing and then voted unanimously on a request for a special exception in order for GreenWave to locate its 16,000 solar panel farm on 35 acres of a 100 acre site which lies partly within and outside the city limits between Allen’s Ferry Road and the TVA substation on West Main Street near the DCHS campus. The project will also be subject to a review by the Smithville Municipal Planning Commission.
“Green Wave Solar delivers renewable energy solutions for homeowners, businesses, and large-scale energy partners throughout the Tennessee Valley,” according to the company website.
According to Landon Cason, owner of GreenWave Solar, who attended Monday’s BZA meeting, this project is a joint venture between his company, TVA, Smithville Electric System, and Caney Fork Electric Cooperative sought by the utility companies to provide a cheaper source of energy for them.
“TVA has a flexibility program where they will allow the local power companies to build their own sources of power. The utility companies (Smithville Electric System and Caney Fork Electric Cooperative) reached out to us and we identified a site near one of their substations and we’re going to provide them some solar power as a cheap source of energy. They share this substation (on West Main Street) so it’ll be both for Caney Fork Electric and for Smithville Electric System. They will each have a project of their own at the same site,” said Cason.
Although GreenWave Solar has acquired 100 acres for its solar farm here only about 35 or 40 acres will be used. Some of it is in a wetland area. Land not used will be sold or leased for farming
“We’ve got the property. It’s about a 100 acre plot right now, but we only need about 35 to 40 acres for the solar project so we’re currently going through our environmentals and our geotechnical surveys, and that’ll determine the final location of it. The remaining portion of the land will be sold back to a farmer or leased for farming,” Cason explained.
“Our goal here is to be as close to the substation as possible and the ultimate goal is to utilize the land that is the least desirable for farming or development in the future. The area we’ve identified is very swampy. It’s not zoned wetland, but it is basically a wetland area that you couldn’t really build anything else on so a solar project would be perfect for that location. It’s very near the substation. It doesn’t get good crop when they do farm it so in a best-case scenario, we’ll cover that portion with the solar panels and we’re close to the source so we can tie into the substation and we’re not taking away from good farmland or good developable land,” he said.
“There will be 16,000 solar panels on the site and they will be raised probably 2 to 3 feet off the ground will be the bottom portion of it. They will stand about 10 to 12 feet at a 30 degree pitch, and they’re at a fixed tilt so they’re not going to track the sun. They will be fixed to the ground. Post pile driven into the ground. Once they’re set, they’re set, and they’re just going to collect solar rays every day,” explained Cason.
According to Cason, the Solar farm will not generate any noise and its not being tied to or developed for any data centers. He said the only customers will be Smithville Electric System and Caney Fork Electric Cooperative.
“This is just producing energy for the local community. You’ll notice them, but they are going to be tucked far away from the road. There’s tree lines on the east, south, and west side of the property so it’s really kind of out of sight and out of mind. It is relatively near a school, but it’s not going to be problematic and we’re very cautious of causing any issues for the local community. We’re going to work with them on spacing. Since we have a lot of that land to work with, we’re going to keep it nice, tucked in and clean as close to the substation as possible. Right now, the property splits between both the city and the county so a portion of it will be in the city, and a portion of it will be in the county and those environmentals will determine how much of each,” said Cason.
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