Today, CDE Lightband, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent power producers and a community-focused renewable energy company, broke ground on two solar farms totaling 6.75 MW_AC in Clarksville, Tennessee. Clarksville has experienced historic economic growth over the past decade and with it a rapidly growing population. These two solar projects will generate enough reliable, low-cost energy to help serve more than 1,000 households annually.

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Tennessee Valley Authority Vice President, North Region Justin Maierhofer, CDE Lightband General Manager Brian Taylor, Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts, and Silicon Ranch Chairman of the Board Matt Kisber break ground on two new solar farms in Clarksville, TN. (Photo: Business Wire)

The event celebrated the groundbreaking of both the 2 MW_AC Solar Band: Red Array and the 4.75 MW_AC Solar Band: Orange Array. The event was hosted at the larger Solar Band: Orange Array. Both solar farms are expected to be fully operational and deliver energy to the Clarksville community in December of 2023.

“CDE Lightband prides itself on reliability and connectivity. Our customers expect nothing less. These solar farms will help us improve the resiliency of our services without increasing costs, all while helping Clarksville attract additional businesses to the area,” said CDE Lightband General Manager Brian Taylor. “I am proud of this partnership with TVA and Silicon Ranch and the collaboration from each organization to make this possible.”

“Solar Band demonstrates what is possible when we come together with a shared vision to use low-cost, reliable, renewable energy to power our growing economy,” said Doug Perry, Senior Vice President TVA Commercial Energy Solutions. “Together with our partners, we are building the nation’s most advanced energy system to help us meet our decarbonization and energy security goals.”

“CDE Lightband is one of the most forward-thinking LPCs in the country, especially considering the role it embraces as an engine for local economic development, thanks in large part to Brian Taylor and his team, who are working daily to serve the needs of their rapidly growing community,” said Silicon Ranch Co-Founder and Chairman Matt Kisber. “We are proud to partner with CDE Lightband to help meet the high bar its leadership has set, and its customers have come to expect, as the long-term owner and operator of these solar projects which will provide reliable cost-effective energy.”

TVA and CDE Lightband partnered with the city to help it achieve ambitious infrastructure goals to meet the needs of a growing population. This includes installing fiber cables, and opening access to renewable energy with the goal of attracting more businesses to the Clarksville area.

Notably, Clarksville is home to the Fort Campbell military base. Silicon Ranch works with programs like Hiring Our Heroes and Solar Ready Vets to assist military veterans, from every branch, as they transition into their next missions in civilian life. Silicon Ranch exceeds the national average in hiring veterans by nearly double, and its team includes military veterans previously based at Fort Campbell.

“What we know is that veterans have looked at problems. They’ve had to figure out how to solve them,” said Nick de Vries, Chief Technology Officer at Silicon Ranch. “As an Army veteran myself, this is something I have known for a long time. We are grateful to our military veteran employees and the unique skill sets they bring to our team and will continue to broaden our ties with the military veteran community.”

Members of the active and retired military joined CDE Lightband, Silicon Ranch, and TVA for this groundbreaking.

About CDE Lightband

CDE Lightband, the municipal electric and broadband provider for the City of Clarksville, offers electric, internet, video and voice services to customers within the city limits. CDE Lightband serves over 80,000 metered homes and businesses with electric service and nearing 30,000 customers with broadband services over our Fiber to the Premise Network.

About Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.

About Silicon Ranch

Founded in 2011, Silicon Ranch is a fully integrated provider of customized renewable energy, carbon, and battery storage solutions for a diverse set of partners across North America. The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the country, with a portfolio that includes more than five gigawatts of solar and battery storage systems that are contracted, under construction, or operating across the U.S. and Canada. Silicon Ranch owns and operates every project in its portfolio and has maintained an unblemished track record of project execution, having successfully commissioned every project it has contracted in its history. Silicon Ranch has the largest utility scale agrivoltaics portfolio in the country under Regenerative Energy® its nationally recognized holistic approach to project design, construction, and land management. This model incorporates regenerative ranching and other regenerative land management practices to restore livelihoods and soil health, biodiversity, and water quality. In 2021, Silicon Ranch acquired Clearloop, which helps businesses of all sizes reclaim their carbon footprint with a direct investment in building new solar projects while helping to bring renewable energy to American communities that can benefit the most from these projects. To learn more, visit siliconranch.com and clearloop.us. Follow Silicon Ranch on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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