Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that the Kentuck Solar project, Virginia’s largest municipal utility solar farm, will begin construction this August.
The Kentuck project is a 6 megawatt solar array that will be part of the generation mix for Danville Municipal Utility. When operational, the solar farm will generate enough electricity to power over 900 homes. Governor McAuliffe made the announcement during a roundtable discussion with local officials and stakeholders as part of his Clean Energy Jobs Tour.
“The clean energy industry holds great potential for economic development in all parts of Virginia, especially areas like Southside that have struggled with job growth as core industries have declined,” said Governor McAuliffe. “I am pleased to see the leadership that Danville Municipal Utility is taking to provide its customers with more renewable energy that is cost competitive with fossil fuels. The City of Danville is taking the lead on this issue in Virginia and I am hopeful other communities will follow its example and reap the economic and community benefits that come from increased use of renewable energy.”
“Working with private and public sector partners to increase solar energy production in Virginia is a key priority of this administration,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore. “Almost 200 megawatts of solar have been installed in Virginia since 2014 and solar jobs have increased 65% over the last year, making the Commonwealth one of the fastest growing solar job markets in the country. I am proud that my home region is embracing the renewable energy industry.”
The roundtable discussion included: Jason Grey, Director of Utilities for the City of Danville; Joe Davis, Commissioner for the Dan River District of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors; and representatives from Sol Systems and Turning Point Energy, the solar developers constructing the project. The project is estimated to be a more than $10 million investment and will power up to 1.5 percent of Danville Municipal Utility’s power needs once operational. The array will be located between Dan River Middle, Kentuck Elementary and Dan River High schools in Pittsylvania County.
“The City of Danville is excited to host the Governor and discuss the plans for the construction of the 6-megawatt Kentuck solar project slated to be completed by the end of 2017,” said Jason Grey, Director of Utilities for the City of Danville. “We look forward to this project providing energy and capacity to our electric customers for many years to come.”
“The City of Danville selected the TurningPoint Energy team to deliver a 6MW best-in-class solar project for its customers at highly competitive solar power pricing rates,” said Jared Schoch, Principal at TurningPoint Energy. “We have developed the project, purchased the real estate, cleared the way for construction, and selected Sol Systems as the solar project investor and builder to deliver on this commitment to provide solar energy to the City and our new neighbors and community, including Dan River Elementary, Middle and High Schools.”
“This project brings more than $10 million of investment and will boost demand for local goods and services over several months during construction,” noted George Ashton, President of Sol Systems. “This is the first of many utility-scale solar project investments for us in Virginia, and we believe the local community and partners in Danville are a model of what can be accomplished by working together.”
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