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Updated: June 8, 2026 @ 12:55 pm
GreenWave Solar owner Landon Cason attended the meeting, along with representatives from Smithville Electric System and Caney Fork Electric Cooperative.
GreenWave Solar owner Landon Cason attended the meeting, along with representatives from Smithville Electric System and Caney Fork Electric Cooperative.
A new solar farm is one step closer to setting up in Smithville after a public hearing was held by the Smithville Board of Zoning Appeals. The hearing was held on June 1, during which representatives from GreenWave Solar of Murfreesboro answered questions from the board and local residents.
GreenWave plans to locate its solar panel farm on 35 acres of a 100-acre site, with one portion in the city and another in the county, near an electrical substation. The site is located between Allen’s Ferry Road and West Main Street on land adjacent to the DCHS soccer and softball fields.
Officials say the 16,000 panels will be erected on land generally considered swampy, wet fields where homes could not be built. The project will undergo ground testing and an environmental study, and will also be subject to a review by the Smithville Municipal Planning Commission.
GreenWave Solar owner Landon Cason attended the meeting, along with representatives from Smithville Electric System and Caney Fork Electric Cooperative. Cason told the board that the power generated would be sold directly to the power companies and would not go towards any data center or other entity.
“TVA has a flexibility program where they will allow the local power companies to build their own sources of power. The utility companies reached out to us, and we identified a site near one of their substations. We’re going to provide them with some solar power as a cheap source of energy. They share this substation, 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,” Cason explained.
According to their website, “Green Wave Solar delivers renewable energy solutions for homeowners, businesses, and large-scale energy partners throughout the Tennessee Valley. Headquartered in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, we have grown from a local installer into a regional solar provider supporting projects ranging from residential rooftops to multi-megawatt commercial and infrastructure installations.”
According to Cason, the company has purchased 100 acres at the site but will use only about 35-40 acres. The rest of the property will either be sold or leased for farming.
“We’re currently going through our environmental and 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 a 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 a good crop when they 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, with post piles driven into the ground. Once they’re set, they’re set, and they’re just going to collect solar rays every day,” Cason said.
Cason said the panels will not produce any noise and pose no risk to wildlife. “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 are three lines on the east, south, and west sides of the property, so it’s really kind of out of sight and out of mind. It is relatively close to a school, but it won’t be problematic, and we’re very cautious about 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 environmentalists will determine how much of each,” said Cason.
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