Georgia is on its way to becoming one of the top five states in the nation for solar energy — a feat that has been accomplished solely through the market with no government subsidies. Earlier this week, SolAmerica and Safari Energy announced the completion of 13 solar projects in Georgia totaling 43 MW of generation capacity which will put Georgia closer to the top of the pack nationwide.
The 13 solar projects in this portfolio will provide energy directly to Georgia Power through long-term power purchase agreements under Georgia Power’s Renewable Energy Development Initiative.
SolAmerica developed, engineered, and constructed the projects, and Safari Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pennsylvania Power and Light Corporation, will be their long-term owner and operator. To date, SolAmerica Energy has developed and constructed 55 commercial, industrial and distribution-scale solar projects across 38 different Georgia counties, and the company estimates that this has resulted in approximately $100 million of asset value against which local property taxes are assessed.
Currently, solar energy is the largest taxpayer in several counties in Georgia without increasing the demand for services.
“Landowners, neighbors, and local governments in eleven counties in Georgia worked in collaboration with SolAmerica and Safari Energy to bring these projects to completion, securing low-cost clean energy for ratepayers, spurring economic development, and increasing the tax base,” said R. Stanley Allen, CEO of SolAmerica Energy. “Throughout this project, we were able to employ a lot of subcontractors, and all of the materials we used for construction of the projects were shipped in through the Port of Savannah. The projects were definitely an economic driver in these communities and in Georgia.”
Allen said the solar energy farms were constructed on land either purchased or leased from Georgia farms. “Most of the land was unusable for growing products and this gave the property owners an opportunity to make the best use of the land.”
“Along the way, Safari Energy proved to be a strong partner committed to completion and operation of high-quality renewable energy projects. We look forward to working with Safari again to develop even more solar projects in Georgia,” Allen said.
SolAmerica Energy is a member of the Georgia Solar Energy Industries Association along with other trusted solar brands like Inman Solar, United Renewables, Georgia Solar Power, Nexamp, Velo Solar and more.
