Solar farm project underway in Zebulon

Georgia is eighth in the nation in solar power production, providing enough power for around 162,000 homes each year, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. The city of Zebulon will soon have its first solar farm, which is managed by SolAmerica as a Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative. At their June meeting, the Zebulon City Council held a public hearing and approved a special exception request to allow a solar farm development on New Hope Road inside the city limits. The solar farm will cover about three acres of property off New Hope Road with around eight acres of property leased to provide the buffers required. The small solar farm will have a total of 1,476 panels. The solar panels will be installed with 355 watt modules for a total of 494.46kW production, according to SolAmerica’s Senior Vice President of Engineering and Construction. He said the inverters for the project are string inverters, with 14 total, and they are located inside the array of panels under the modules. Known as the Pike Edwards Site, the project is only visible from the road at the entrance to the property and existing trees and vegetation will be used as buffers for local residents. ’We’re excited that this project is underway,’ said city administrator Larry Mitcham. ‘Green Energy is becoming a focus now for a lot of utility companies so this project will be contribution toward that effort for sure.’The local solar power initiative is approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission. For more details, go to georgiapower.com/about-energy/energy-sources/solar/advanced-solar-initiative.cshtml.