Dr. Michael Noll with Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE) speaks with Valdosta Police Department Cmdr. Bernard Robinson at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Wiregrass Solar LLC project Monday. More than a dozen activists were on hand to protest the proposed biomass plant.

The Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wiregrass Solar LLC project Monday afternoon.

Executives from Georgia Power, Sterling Planet, Hannah Solar LLC, as well as Mayor John J. Fretti and industrial authority staff were present to commemorate the event.

More than a dozen members of the community representing Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE), Valdosta State University’s Students Against Violating the Environment (SAVE) and the local chapter of the NAACP were also present to protest against the construction of the biomass facility but also to support the solar facility being created.

“It’s not cost-effective. We’re spending millions of taxpayer dollars in government subsidies for biomass, and you have a very iffy return on the investment,” said Leigh Touchton, president of Lowndes-Valdosta NAACP.

“My gratitude is to all the partners for getting together and seeing this project through. Everyone realizes that solar is an important component of our electric needs, and it will continue to be. We need to take into consideration that all renewable energy resources — solar, wind and bio — have a place and will hopefully be more efficient and come at a lower rate for our customers. We are very proud to have the largest solar array in the state,” said Fretti.

“It’s been a privilege to work on a project like this. We’re proud of our product, and we’re proud of solar energy. I hope this site will attract other renewable energies and other technologies that are efficient for the electric industry as a whole. It takes all of the environmental to make this space work. We are re-investing our property into projects like this. We make our money buying and selling into renewable energy across the country. All of the technologies hold a significant place in renewable energy manufacturing,” said Sterling Planet Chairman Sonny Murphy.

Executives and city officials broke ground together at the site to the mixed cheers from the crowd of protesters: “Hooray for solar! No biomass!”

The solar panel photovoltaic facility has been designed to generate approximately 350,000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy per year and will be purchased by Georgia Power at 17 cents per kilowatt hour.

“Solar energy is definitely part of the solution for water issues in Georgia, and it’s not being talked about. When the president of Georgia Power is the chairman of the water commission and 52 percent of water is being used for power generation, you’ve got the fox in the henhouse,” said Pete Marte, chief executive officer of Hannah Solar.

The facility will be constructed on a two-acre tract near the future site of the biomass power facility. The solar facility will be paid for in part by a $500,000 grant from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority.

According to Brad Lofton, executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority, the solar array will provide enough power for approximately 160 homes. The average home uses about 12,000 kilowatt hours of power each year.

“This solar announcement really puts Valdosta in the forefront of being a renewable energy leader in Georgia. We’re becoming a green energy leader in the state,” said Lofton. “What I think is interesting is how great of an example (this is) of a public private partnership. The entire quadrant is going to be renewable projects with two different types of clean and green energy manufacturing.”

According to Lofton, the proposed biomass facility construction is still on track. The industrial authority is expecting a groundbreaking ceremony sometime in late spring or early summer once it has finalized the fuel supplier and power purchaser agreement. The facility will produce enough power for 18,000 homes.

“It’s proven technology. We’ve been using this technology for years and years. Our goal is to expand the solar array and recruit more renewable energy in the area. It really underscores our location as a leader in green energy in the state,” said Lofton.