Mainly clear skies. Low 67F. Winds light and variable..
Mainly clear skies. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Silicon Ranch, one of the premier solar ranch operations in the nation, is currently constructing Desoto Phase I Solar Ranch off Dan Green and Courthouse roads in north Lee County.
The Desoto I project in Lee County will produce 125 megawatts of electricity, the energy from which will provide power to Walton EMC as part of the electric utility’s agreement to provide clean, renewable energy to Facebook’s data center in Newton County, Georgia.
Solar farms work by collecting sunlight through an interconnected system of solar panels. These panels are strategically placed on 5,800 racks consisting of 385,000 panels to maximize their ability to capture sunlight and convert it to electricity
Silicon Ranch, one of the premier solar ranch operations in the nation, is currently constructing Desoto Phase I Solar Ranch off Dan Green and Courthouse roads in north Lee County.
The Desoto I project in Lee County will produce 125 megawatts of electricity, the energy from which will provide power to Walton EMC as part of the electric utility’s agreement to provide clean, renewable energy to Facebook’s data center in Newton County, Georgia.
Solar farms work by collecting sunlight through an interconnected system of solar panels. These panels are strategically placed on 5,800 racks consisting of 385,000 panels to maximize their ability to capture sunlight and convert it to electricity
LEESBURG — Silicon Ranch, one of the premier solar ranch operations in the nation, is currently constructing Desoto Phase I Solar Ranch off Dan Green and Courthouse roads in north Lee County. The 2,285-acre site, once an agricultural operation, was purchased to construct a large solar ranch. It will consist of about 1,800 acres of collection capability in Phase I of the project. Two other phases are in the planning stage for this site.
Solar farms work by collecting sunlight through an interconnected system of solar panels. These panels are strategically placed on 5,800 racks consisting of 385,000 panels to maximize their ability to capture sunlight and convert it to electricity. Sunlight contains little packets of energy called photons. When photons from the sun reach the solar panels, it causes energy electrons within those panels to move, thus creating an electrical current.
The electric current created is then sent to 37 inverters, which convert it from DC to AC. The AC power is pushed out from the solar site to a recently constructed power sub-station on Dan Green Road and New York Road. From there, if flows to the transmission lines, where the electricity is distributed to the power grid. Approximately 17 miles of electric wire on four separate circuits will be used in the construction of the Desoto facility.
Desoto I will produce 125 megawatts of electricity, the energy from which will provide power to Walton EMC as part of the electric utility’s agreement to provide clean, renewable energy to Facebook’s data center in Newton County, Georgia. For reference, one megawatt is enough energy to power 164 average homes, according to the Solar Energies Industry Association. The large solar farms are being built on an average of about 1,200 to 1,500, per year, according to the Desoto Phase I construction manager.
Installed with programmable motors, the solar arrays move with the sun, from east to west, from sunrise to sundown. After sundown, the panels lock in place. At the next sunrise they revert to the initial eastern position. A computer-controlled program manages the arrays to maximize production each day of the year. Although a solar panel will capture ambient light, such as street lights and even moonlight, that is not enough to be included in the energy calculation production for these large facilities.
As of September 2022, the site has provided about 250 jobs in the construction of the ranch. Most of the jobs were filled by local applicants. Desoto Ranch Phase I is expected to be completed by December. Most of the material used in the construction of this ranch is coming from China and Taiwan. Despite extraordinary macro-supply chain challenges of 2021 and 2022, the Desoto I Solar Ranch has remained on schedule to achieve commercial operation date by the end of the year.
After completion of the ranch, ongoing operation, maintenance, and land care will be needed to maintain the site for the projected lifespan of 40 years.
“As long-term stewards of the land, we expect to manage over 1,100 acres at Desoto I regeneratively, using the animal impact of sheep to restore soil health and biodiversity, promote and control vegetation, and sequester carbon,” Silicon Ranch officials said. “Our regenerative management at this project will help strengthen the local rural economy.
“A project of this size typically results in the creation of at least four full-time operations and services jobs that include both ranching and non-technical solar maintenance, as well as two indirect jobs. Our regenerative operations support a variety of local businesses, including veterinarians, seed, feed, and fencing suppliers, and water infrastructure businesses, as well as, with respect to select projects, local meat processors. Silicon Ranch’s No. 1 priority is bringing a positive impact to the communities where we site our solar ranches.”
Silicon Ranch, based in Nashville, Tenn., owns and operates 148 facilities across 15 states, from coast to coast, including the first large-scale solar projects in Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. Here in Georgia, they have built, owned and operated 15 solar power plants that produce more than 1.3 gigawatts.
One of the more interesting components of this ranch will be the use of sheep to graze beneath the solar panels to contain plant growth and possible crop production. Even though a center pivot well was removed from the site, there are still plans to continue agricultural operation using a process called “agrivoltaics.” That is any type of agricultural production among solar arrays. It is a growing trend in the solar industry as the demand for solar energy drives the industry to occupy an increasing amount of land.
“At projects like Desoto, where regenerative energy implementation will include holistic managed grazing, we take one of two routes to deliver the service,” Silicon Ranch officials said. “One way is to outsource the service to regenerative energy-qualified ranchers. Silicon Ranch works with a number of world-renowned and local regenerative ranchers, including Georgia’s own Will Harris of White Oak Pastures, to manage their flocks of sheep and restore grassland ecosystems using additional holistic land management practices on its solar ranches.
“We are also able to perform this service with our own staff. In July of 2021, Silicon Ranch launched the first-of-its-kind agrivoltaics operations and maintenance self-perform program. Under this innovative program, Silicon Ranch trains and employs staff, dubbed “agrivoltaic technicians,” to do both regenerative land management and non-technical, non-electric solar maintenance. The agrivoltaic technicians deliver holistic planned sheep grazing to promote and control vegetation and regenerate the land on select Silicon Ranch regenerative energy projects.”
Should Desoto Phase II and Phase III get constructed in the near future, the Desoto Ranch site will double its production to 250 megawatts per day.
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