Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power has acquired the 103-megawatt Butler solar farm in Georgia from Community Energy Inc.
The project, which was initially developed by Community Energy was selected by Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power in a competitive process through the nationally recognized Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative. The project which will be located on approximately 1,070 acres in Taylor County, Georgia, is expected to enter commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Construction is slated to begin in September 2015, with First Solar Inc., managing the building, operations and maintenance of the facility. The project is expected to consist of more than 1 million of First Solar’s thin-film photovoltaic solar modules mounted on single-axis tracking tables.
The electricity and associated renewable energy credits generated by the facility will be sold under a 30-year power purchase agreement with Georgia Power, which will have the option to keep or sell the RECs, for the benefit of its customers or renewable energy programs.