Upon completion this month, the 1 megawatt (MW) solar farm currently being built in Jackson, Tenn., will be the largest solar array in the state. Supplying energy to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the solar farm is being installed by Efficient Energy of Tennessee (EETN).

The Jackson Solar Farm project includes a 1-MW solar power system and a separate 47-kilowatt (kW) solar installation that will power the offices at the industrial park where the solar farm is located. Power from the 1-MW solar array will be grid-tied to the Jackson Energy Authority (JEA) grid where it will then be purchased and distributed by TVA’s Generation Partners Program. The Jackson Solar Farm features Sharp's ND-224UC1 solar modules, solar panels that are designed to handle tough and demanding operating conditions and yield high power output per square foot of solar array.

"Tennessee is becoming a regional leader in clean, efficient solar power," said Eric Hafter, Senior Vice President, Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group in a press release.

Because the solar farm is being built on an existing 55-acre manufacturing site, there was no need to clear land for the project.

“The property was already cleared,” said Robbie Thomas, president of Efficient Energy of Tennessee. “It’s a grassy area and a good place to put a solar PV project without disturbing land or land that could be used for something else.”

The manufacturing facility and industrial park owned by Jackson Industrial Holdings is currently vacant but the company hopes the addition of renewable energy to the buildings will help them lease it.

“Jackson Industrial is hoping to turn an old facility into something newer and environmentally friendly that will offset emissions,” said Thomas.

The energy produced from this solar array will be enough to power more than 250 average-sized homes. The materials used in the solar farm are mostly made in the U.S., with the Sharp panels coming from only 60 miles away from the site at the Sharp plant in Memphis and the inverters coming from Bend, Ore.

The Jackson Solar Farm isn’t the first utility scale solar project in Tennessee—another 1-MW installation in Knoxville went online July 2010. The Knoxville Solar Farm was also constructed by Efficient Energy of Tennessee and is powered by Sharp solar panels.

Image courtesy of EETN.