Solar Alliance Energy Inc. has signed a contract with Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB), an independent agency of the City of Knoxville, for the design and installation of a 1 MW solar project in Knoxville, Tenn. KUB provides electric, natural gas, water, wastewater and fiber broadband services to more than 473,000 customers in the city area.
Solar Alliance will design, engineer and install the 1 MW project, which is scheduled to begin construction in April 2022; it is targeted for completion in August 2022. The project builds on Solar Alliance’s expanding utility customer project base, following solar initiatives with utilities LG&E/KU, EPB and AEC. It also builds on the company’s support program for utilities which includes grant work, financial modeling, energy modeling and electric vehicle charger deployment.
“This large community solar project for KUB builds on our growing utility customer base and we are proud to support KUB in delivering the benefits of solar to Knoxville,” says Solar Alliance CEO Myke Clark. “Solar Alliance is a Knoxville-based leader in the commercial and utility solar sector and this project illustrates our commitment to our local community while building strong relationships with utilities. It also shows our growth as a company as we continue to aggressively grow our backlog of large projects. The potential for solar growth in Knoxville, Tennessee and the U.S. Southeast is massive, and we have become a market leader in this rapidly growing industry.”
KUB previously announced that 20% of Knoxville’s electricity will be generated from solar energy, through participation in TVA’s Green Invest program. In total, KUB will secure enough solar energy to power about 83,000 homes.
“We are so excited to bring Knoxville its first Community Solar site and are looking forward to partnering with Solar Alliance and the City of Knoxville to make it happen,” comments Gabriel Bolas, KUB’s president and CEO. “This is another way we support solar energy generation, and it also makes the benefits of solar power more accessible to our community members.” Solar Alliance and KUB also entered into an operations and maintenance agreement for the project for one year. Upon mutual agreement of the parties, the term may be extended for up to four additional one-year renewal terms.