News & Press
GRAY, Ga – Tri-County EMC announces the construction of a 1MW solar array to be located in Eatonton, Georgia. The array, located on 10-acres adjacent to the cooperative’s district office, will have more than 4,200 panels and generate 2.1 million kWhs per year upon completion. The site is set to begin energy production in May 2016.
With the construction of the new utility scale array, cooperative members will have access to solar energy for their homes or businesses through an innovative cooperative solar program called ourSolar. While many barriers keep homeowners from purchasing rooftop solar, including installation and maintenance costs, rooftop orientation to the sun, excessive shading or restrictive covenants, ourSolar offers solar energy with no risks and no contracts. There is no minimum term required to participate.
Tri-County EMC members will be able to purchase up to four 1.22 kWh blocks of solar capacity from the array, with each block producing approximately 160-250 kWh per month. Each “block” is equivalent to approximately four of 4,200 solar modules. The energy produced each month by the panels, like all solar arrays, will depend on the sun’s angle, the number of cloudy days and the time of year. The energy generated by the block will be credited against the normal usage on that month’s electric bill. Each block will cost $25 per month.
“Many of our members have asked for a solar option,” said Greg Mullis, Tri-County EMC senior vice president. “This project makes economic and environmental sense. For those customers who participate, they get all of the benefits of solar energy without having a long term commitment to install, finance, or maintain their own rooftop system.”
For the project, Tri-County is partnering with the Southern Wholesale Energy and United Renewable Energy. All of the energy from the solar array will be purchased by Tri-County EMC through a 25 year purchase power agreement. The array will be owned by Southern Wholesale Energy. United Renewable Energy will be responsible for the installation and maintenance of the array. For additional information on the project, visit www.tri-countyemc.com/cooperativesolar.cms and follow Tri-County on Facebook and Twitter.
About Tri-County EMC…
Tri-County Electric Membership Corporation is a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 21,025 accounts in Baldwin, Bibb, Jasper, Jones, Morgan, Putnam, Twiggs and Wilkinson County. The cooperative, chartered in 1939, is headquartered in Gray, Georgia and has a district office in Eatonton. Tri-County EMC is governed by a nine-member board of directors elected by and from the cooperative's customers/members.