Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative (EMC) participated in a dedication event to “flip the switch” on the new 68-megawatt Houston Solar project that provides clean energy to the co-op’s Members. Located in Houston County, Carroll EMC is among 30 Georgia electric cooperatives that will collectively share in the site’s power production.
Statewide and locally elected officials, including Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black, members of the Georgia Public Service Commission, and state representatives and senators, attended the event to celebrate the project and learn about the positive benefits it delivers to the local community and citizens across the state.
Green Power EMC, the renewable energy provider owned by 38 Georgia EMCs, including Carroll EMC, is purchasing all the energy and environmental attributes generated by the Houston Solar site on behalf of its member cooperatives.
As a clean energy source, the solar site’s environmental offset is equivalent to approximately 124,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The Houston Solar site also co-locates renewable energy production with regenerative agriculture practices on the same land, including land management using planned sheep grazing.
“We serve our Members with a diverse portfolio of reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible energy, and solar power has become an increasingly important part of our strategy,” said James Layton, Vice President of Engineering and Technology for Carroll EMC. “We are proud that through our participation in this innovative renewable energy project, we can help serve our Members’ power needs with cost-effective solar energy.”
Green Power EMC is a not-for-profit cooperative founded in 2001 to support 38 of Georgia’s electric cooperatives in their search for 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, visit greenpoweremc.com or follow Green Power EMC on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.