BrightRidge eyeing a new solar farm in the Piney Flats community

With construction winding down on a 9-megawatt solar energy generating facility in western Washington County, BrightRidge and its partners are now looking to develop a new solar farm in Sullivan County.Officials with the Johnson City energy authority have sent a letter to residents, who live near a 50-acre tract off Ned King Road in Piney Flats, notifying them of its preliminary plans to work with Nashville-based Silicon Ranch to develop a 4-megawatt solar farm in the area.Jeffrey Dykes, BrightRidge chief executive officer, writes in the letter that the utility has successfully partnered with Silicon Ranch to build and operate two solar energy-producing facilities in Washington County.He said Silicon Ranch now plans "to purchase the land, construct, operate and maintain" a solar farm in Sullivan County. He said the facility is estimated to generate "8.6 million kWh annually, which could power an entire year's use for almost 600 homes."Dykes said the Piney Flats solar project will allow his utility the opportunity "to provide low-cost, renewable energy to all of our customers."Under the terms of its 20-year contract with TVA, BrightRidge is allowed to buy 100% of the energy from the solar farm and sell it to its customers during the next 30 years.Dykes said "our preliminary goal is to have the solar farm completed and in operation in 2023.""We want to keep lines of communication open, so we are planning timely updates as the project progresses," Dykes said in his letter to neighbors. He also noted a public meeting will be held at some point to share the proposed layout and landscaping of the project.He said additional information on the Piney Flats project can be obtained by contacting Bonnie Donnolly, BrightRidge's chief development and market strategy officer, at 952-5105 or by email at bdonnolly@brightridge.com.Meanwhile, a ribbon cutting is expected to be held in January for the Martin Solar Farm, which is located on 104 acres of former farmland at 215 Martin Road in rural Washington County.The project is expected to generate nearly twice the electricity of a similar Silicon Ranch operation in Telford, which became the first solar farm in Washington County, as well as the first of its type in Northeast Tennessee, when it became operational in early 2019.The facility is named for the late Ralph Martin, who served many years as a director of the Johnson City Power Board before it became BrightRidge. The energy farm, with 24,375 solar panels, is on land once owned by Martin.BrightRidge officials say Martin Solar Farm will generate clean energy that will be offered to East Tennessee State University and to public schools throughout the region.