Silicon Ranch, Carroll County Electric Host 'Flip the Switch'

TREZEVANT — Renewable energy and community development converged in Carroll County as local officials, industry leaders, and residents gathered at the site of the new Trezevant Solar Farm, owned and operated by Silicon Ranch.

The facility marks a major milestone in expanding the region’s clean energy infrastructure while offering a powerful new incentive to attract future business investments to Carroll County.

In the ceremonial “Flip the Switch” event, the speakers noted the importance of the project for economic development and sustainability of the local electrical system. The solar array helps provide clean, low-cost electrical generation and provides tax income for both the county and Town of Trezevant.

“This is an exciting economic development,” said Brad Hurley, President of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce. “I know a number of communities successfully use solar panels to show companies looking to move forward-thinking projects that they’ve got an asset that can help them meet sustainability goals or low-cost energy goals. You’ll see this added to the economic development toolkit as just another tool for the local community.”

Representatives from Silicon Ranch—including Vice President of Business Development Matt Brown and Chairman of the Board Matt Kisber—joined local power authorities to celebrate the operational launch. Attendees watched as the modern panel array actively tracked the sun across the West Tennessee landscape, producing clean power directly for the local grid.

The power generated by the solar facility will be managed in partnership with the Carroll County Electric Department (CCED). General Manager Ryan Drewry and CCED Board Chairman Lori Nolen emphasized the collaborative effort required to bring a modern utility-scale project to fruition while keeping local power delivery reliable and cost-effective.

Ryan Drewry, General Manager of the Carroll County Electric Department said, “This long-term partnership agreement opened the door for us years down the road for some flexibility options with our power purchase contract. With that, we were able to purchase 5% of our power needs through certain energy sources, one of those being solar.”

Drewry credited his predecessor, Danny Brawner, with signing the initial agreement with Silicon Ranch, a company based in downtown Nashville.

“Mr. Danny Brawner and the board of directors signed a power purchase agreement with Silicon Ranch. CCED agreed to offtake the energy generated from the solar site and secured this power at lower cost than we could buy through TVA. The site you see behind us is a result of that power purchase contract or agreement. The power here flows directly into our distribution substation. I know you can’t see it, but beyond this hill, our substation sits on the back end of this property …TVA developed two different flexibility paths. The first one was Flexibility 1.0. We realized, or quickly realized, there were some restraints within that program, and they opened up a second iteration called Flexibility 2.0.”

Flexibility 2.0 allows the local distributor to sell any excess electrical production from the solar array back to TVA.

Matt Kisber, Chairman of the Board fo Silicon Ranch praised the partnership between his company and CCED. Kisber, a native of Jackson, Tenn., former state representative for 20 years, former Tennessee Commissioner of Economic Development, and now chairman of Silicon Ranch, praised the gathering of officials, CCED associates, and students from the local high schools who gathered at the site of the solar array.

“Before I say more about the project, I’d like to recognize the family of Chance Carlton, including his wife Samantha Carlton and their daughters…Chance dedicated his career to serving this community as a lineman. And lost his life while restoring power during severe storms last year. His service, sacrifice, and commitment to his neighbors represent the very best of the people who work every day to keep communities safe and lights on. We’re honored to remember him today.”

“Silicon Ranch began discussing this opportunity with CCED and Danny Brawner in 2021. We signed our power purchase agreement in March 2022, and the facility began delivering energy in July 2025. That history reflects years of vision, collaboration, and determination. True partners. Ryan and the CCED team understand that their responsibility extends beyond providing electricity. It includes planning for the future, supporting economic development, strengthening the local grid, and protecting value for the more than sixteen thousand customers they serve across fourteen hundred miles of distribution lines. We’re also grateful to TVA for their innovation.

Innovative generation flexibility program, which, as Ryan mentioned, gives local power companies the flexibility to purchase or generate a portion of their power from local resources. That flexibility made this partnership possible. It allows CCED to bring generation closer to the customers it serves, while supporting clean energy, rate stability, and greater resiliency across its system. The Trezevant Solar Farm is a 6.5 megawatt facility with enough generation capacity to help power nearly a thousand homes. But this project is more than about megawatts. Silicon Ranch has made a significant capital investment here in Carroll County. That investment adds to the local tax base and will produce new tax revenue that can support schools, infrastructure, public services, and other priorities identified.

“The facility also provides CCED with local-generated electricity at a predictable fixed rate over the next 30 years. That long-term certainty helps promote rate stability while diversifying CCED’s energy supply and strengthening the resiliency of the local grid. At Silicon Ranch, we take great pride in our Tennessee roots. Since our founding in Nashville, 2011. We have grown into one of the nation’s largest independent power producers, but our purpose has remained the same: to help communities become stronger, healthier, and more resilient. That is why Silicon Ranch owns and operates every project in our portfolio. We do not build a facility and then move on. We put down roots as a long-term landowner, taxpayer, operator, and neighbor, and that’s what we’re doing right here.

“We also take our responsibility to the land seriously. Through our regenerative energy platform, we manage land in ways that combine renewable energy production with agricultural use and responsible land stewardship. Here in Trezevant, we look forward to working with Farm 40 West to incorporate managed sheep grazing at this facility. The sheep will help maintain vegetation naturally. While keeping the land in agricultural production and supporting healthier soil, this is a practical example of how solar energy and agriculture can complement one another on the same land. Something that long ago was called dual use, and I think we still benefit from it today. It’s also exciting to see students from local STEM programs here today. I hope that their tour of this facility gives them a closer look.”

Following the speeches, the ceremonial “Flip the Switch” occurred with Chance Carlton’s two girls serving to flip the switch.

Beyond the technological specs and economic impact, the gathering carried a profound sense of community remembrance. Among those present was Samantha Carlton, widow of Chance Carlton, a dedicated CCED lineman who tragically lost his life in the line of duty in April 2025. Her presence served as a poignant reminder of the frontline utility workers whose daily dedication powers the region. Carlton said her husband was a dedicated CCED lineman, family man, and devout Christian. She successfully spearheaded a political campaign to get state legislation to recognize lineman as first responders. In such, the families can receive compensation of $50,000 for up to five years following a work-related death. Samantha said the emphasis was to better serve lineman who work to serve the public and their communities.

With the panels officially active since July 2025, local officials remain optimistic that the Trezevant facility will serve as a beacon for both sustainable land stewardship and future industrial growth across Carroll County.

Timeline for the Trezevant Project:

February 2022 — A letter of intent was approved to enter into a contract with a division of Silicon Ranch to construct a 6.25-megawatt solar array in Trezevant. The Board of Directors of the Carroll County Electric Department provided the letter as one of the early steps in the development of the solar farm.

Danny Brawner, then-general manager of Carroll County Electric and Robert Keeton, Jr., the attorney for the system, said the document indicates the board approves of the ‘concept’ of the solar farm. SR Trezevant, LLC, a proposed Delaware Corporation, would be the principal entity with Silicon Ranch as a major investor.

In January, 2022, Brawner said the proposed solar farm installation would be an 118-acre solar farm near the CCED’s power substation on Power Station Road in Trezevant.

In July, 2025 — the first month of operation, the solar array delivered impressive savings for Carroll County Electric. At that time, Drewry noted that July 2025 was exceptionally hot, leading to the highest electricity usage in the company’s history.