CONTRACTOR'S CORNER
CONTRACTOR’S CORNER:
Silicon Ranch What started as being a nice neighbor to a regenerative farm has turned into a whole new way of building and maintaining solar projects for Silicon Ranch. With close to 1 GW of installed projects, the utility-scale solar developer and owner was seeing the real impact of using herbicides and pesticides to manage vegetation growth. After siting a new project next to one of the larger regenerative ranchers in the Southeast, Silicon Ranch (whose mission is to be a supportive community member) wanted to ensure it wasn’t applying chemicals or contributing to soil erosion that may affect the rancher’s mission. With some
58
SOLAR POWER WORLD
MAY 2021
tips from the rancher, Silicon Ranch dove into regenerative land management practices that could improve the land at each of its solar sites. In this episode of the Contractor’s Corner podcast, Solar Power World editor-in-chief Kelly Pickerel talks with Silicon Ranch CEO Reagan Farr about the company’s regenerative energy process, and how bringing more native plants and grazing livestock to solar sites can make a big impact on communities. A portion of the interview is below, but be sure to listen to the full podcast for even more insight, including how the company started as an idea within the Tennessee state government and what it’s like to be partially owned by Shell. Silicon
Ranch is celebrating 10 years in the solar industry, and so is SPW’s Pickerel, so listen in as they talk about the one-decade club. Find the Contractor’s Corner podcast on your favorite podcast app. How did the “Silicon Ranch” name come about?
(Founding company chairman) Governor Philip Bredesen started several companies, and he said one of the most difficult questions of every company he’s ever been a part of is, “What are we going to name it?” The three of us (Reagan Farr, Chairman Matt Kisber, former Gov. Philip Bredesen) went home and made a list of our top five. Before we had gotten home and settled, Gov. Bredesen had come up with the name and logo. As soon as we saw it, we said, “All right, so that is
www.solarpowerworldonline.com
