Read original article at Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
White Pine Solar Farm has been selected as the 2025 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award winner for Energy and Renewable Resources. The award is one of nine in different categories announced today by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
After three plus years, of planning, partnerships, and persistence, the White Pine Solar Farm officially came online in May 2024, delivering 2.8 megawatts of clean, renewable energy to the electric grid and launching a new chapter for the Jefferson and Hamblen county communities in East Tennessee.
A partnership between Clearloop, a carbon solutions platform launched in Tennessee, and its parent company, Silicon Ranch, the project is a compelling model for how community engagement, education, and emissions reduction can go hand in hand. Over its lifetime, the White Pine Solar Farm is expected to prevent over 162 million pounds of carbon emissions, displacing energy previously sourced from a grid powered by more than 40 percent fossil fuels. Already, the farm has produced over 4,507 megawatt hours (MWh) of solar electricity, avoiding more than 5.3 million pounds of CO₂ emissions.
The White Pine Solar Farm was made possible through a collaborative effort across the public and private sectors, including using the emissionality concept, a method developed by environmental nonprofit WattTime to target regions where renewables will displace the most carbon and contribute to improved soil health and land resilience. REI Co-op contributed to the project and will power its new state-of-the-art Lebanon, TN distribution center with 100 percent renewable energy sourced from this initiative.
The collaboration with Clearloop brings a meaningful and intentional focus to new solar projects that can provide environmental and economic benefits to communities for years to come. The partnership serves as a cornerstone of a broader vision to decarbonize the grid by expanding access to clean energy along with investments in workforce development and regenerative land practices.
From the beginning, the project has emphasized local benefit by providing $100,000 in scholarships for high school seniors in Jefferson and Hamblen counties ($50,000 per school district); It donated 1,600 Renewable Energy Certificates each year for 40 years by Intuit, making these among the first renewable-powered public school districts in the Southeast. It provided education and outreach for over 100 local students; new construction jobs, supported by Silicon Ranch’s commitment to hiring U.S. military veterans; and new long-term local tax revenue.
Clearloop and Silicon Ranch remain committed to the long-term health of the land and people in White Pine and beyond. As owners and operators of the project, they will continue working together with the community for decades.
