Jackson EMC members will receive solar energy from a new project under construction in South Georgia designed to provide even more renewable energy into the homes of members. Jackson EMC is one of 16 Georgia electric cooperatives partnering together to purchase energy from three new solar facilities.   

When completed, the solar sites will generate 252-megawatts of electricity. Green Power EMC, the renewable energy provider owned by 38 Georgia Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs) – including Jackson EMC – is purchasing the full power output of the three solar facilities and providing it to participating electric cooperatives. The total capacity generated will be enough renewable power to help serve more than 44,000 EMC households annually.  

Jackson EMC will receive a total of 20 megawatts of solar energy from the facilities once operational, which adds to the 24 megawatts of solar energy members already receive.   

The three solar facilities will be built in stages over the next three years by Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent solar producers. The company will also own, operate and maintain the solar facilities.  

The first site, Snipesville III, will be a 107-megawatt solar facility in Jeff Davis County. Construction is expected to start later this year, with the facility operational in mid-2023. The second site in the portfolio, DeSoto II, will be a 65-megawatt solar facility in Lee County. Silicon Ranch expects to start construction in late 2022 and bring the facility online by late 2023. The third site, Ailey, will be an 80-megawatt solar facility in Montgomery County. Silicon Ranch plans to build the project in 2024 and bring the facility online later that year.  

Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, the largest electric cooperative in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation, is headquartered 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Jefferson, Ga. The cooperative serves more than 244,000 meters on 14,000 miles of energized wire. For more information, visit jacksonemc.com.