Phoenix Solar and Silicon Ranch are joining forces to develop, finance and install a portfolio of PV power plants in the southeast of the US.
The first installation under the partnership will be a 1.4MW system in Pulaski, Tennessee – set to be the largest privately owned solar installation in the state – and, with the help of Chapel Electric, Phoenix Solar has already started construction. It has also agreed to provide long-term operation and maintenance at the site.
The ground-mount system is set to be the centerpiece of Silicon Ranch’s planned Pulaski Energy Park, which will also include a solar training campus. Silicon Ranch is building the park on 25 acres of recently acquired land at the Pulaski Industrial Park on Elkton Highway Tennessee’s city centre.
“Developing a solar facility in Pulaski will bring tremendous economic, environmental and social advantages to the region,” Matthew Kisber, Silicon Ranch’s president and CEO, said. “Our intent is to provide low-cost solar energy with a focus on creating green jobs and increasing capital investments in clean energy here in our state.”
“Silicon Ranch is helping speed [up] the adoption of solar power in Tennessee, and we are proud to be their partner,” Phoenix Solar’s CEO and president, Paul Caudill, added. “Developing, building and then operating this privately held solar power plant represents an important energy and environmental milestone for the city of Pulaski, first, and then the state of Tennessee.”
Phoenix Solar is already making plans for further projects not just Tennessee and its neighbouring states but also further afield, with large-scale installations on the horizon in the US, Germany and Asia.
Earlier this month, Phoenix Solar posted disappointing financial results for the first nine months of 2011 – revenue of €253.9 million was nearly 45% down on 2010’s corresponding figure – and the company is responding with a number of changes to its business model and management structure; earlier this week it announced the departure of current chief financial officer Sabine Kauper and plans are also afoot to reduce the number of preferred suppliers in an effort to streamline operations and reduce lead-times.
