American Drive Business Center to Be Home of Tennessee’s Largest Solar Installation

“TVA is proud to partner with Jackson Energy Authority on encouraging locally owned solar and renewable generation in the valley,” said Susan Curtis, Generation Partners Senior Project Manager for TVA.

The power from the 47 kW solar array will be sufficient to power operations in the American Drive Business Center. Companies looking for a greener, clean approach to business will benefit from the solar power generated on site.

Meridian Development Partners is a real estate development firm based in New York that specializes in the acquisition and redevelopment of underutilized real estate. Meridian is a proponent of responsible development and works to transform properties to positively impact communities.

Meridian Development Partners purchased the former Dal-Tile property located at 96 American Drive in the Madison Industrial Park in 2008. Meridian has been improving the 55- acre site, with three existing buildings totaling over 434,000 square feet of available space, into a modern business campus. The two solar arrays will be built on a portion of 20 acres within the campus that have been master planned for expansions.

“We believe the American Drive Business Center has many attributes that differentiate it from other sites and buildings on the market,” notes Michael Katz, managing director of Meridian Development Partners. “The site is served by CSX rail, it is three minutes from Interstate 40, it has industrial grade infrastructure and now it will offer clean solar power. This takes the site from good to great.”

The Jackson solar project will be the second 1 MW installation in Tennessee. The first is located near Knoxville and went online in August 2010.

“This project provides clear evidence that Tennessee, and now the Jackson region, are leading the way in developing clean solar electricity,” states Kyle Spurgeon, CEO of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce. “The relationship between JEA and TVA is a critical partnership that has allowed this investment to be made in Jackson.”

The solar power systems at American Drive Business Center will be comprised of 4,914 solar modules manufactured by Sharp in the company’s Memphis plant. The system will be constructed by Efficient Energy of Tennessee based in Powell, TN. The system will be owned by Natural Energy Group, which is a group of Tennessee investors formed to help launch large-scale solar projects. Meridian Development Partners approached Natural Energy Group to assist in bringing this project to their Jackson property.

“The people at Meridian Development Partners have shown real creativity and brought new ideas for developing property to West Tennessee,” stated Mike Philpot, Executive Director of West Tennessee Industrial Association. “Their willingness to invest in the property and promote our area is impressive.”

Construction is set to begin in early September and the project is expected to be completed in mid December 2010. A ceremony to put the first solar panel into place is being planned for mid October.