Volunteer State Solar Initiative

Governor Phil Bredesen today proposed the Volunteer State Solar Initiative, a comprehensive solar-energy and economic-development program that will use up to $62.5 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to advance job creation, education, research, and renewable-power production in Tennessee.

In announcing the new initiative, Bredesen was joined by legislative leaders and key partners including Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the University of Tennessee (UT). Support was registered from Washington, D.C., by members of Tennessees congressional delegation, including U.S. House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon and Congressman John Tanner, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Subject to approval by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Tennessee General Assembly, the proposed initiative consists of two closely related projects:

• The Tennessee Solar Institute at UT and ORNL, which will focus on basic science and industry partnerships to improve the affordability and efficiency of solar products; and

• The West Tennessee Solar Farm near Brownsville, a five-megawatt 20-acre power generation facility at the Haywood County industrial megasite that will be one of the largest installations in the Southeast and serve as a demonstration tool for educational, research and economic-development purposes.

Category:

Science & Technology

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