groSolar Opens New Solar Farm in Jacksonville to Provide Solar Power to JEA Customers

groSolar, JEA, and AEP OnSite Partners, an American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) company, are pleased to announce the commercial operation of the 7-megawatt (MWAC) Northwest Jacksonville Solar Partners (NWJAX) solar farm in Jacksonville, Florida. The project is located on Arnold Road just north of the Jacksonville International Airport. The NWJAX project is owned by AEP OnSite Partners and features single axis trackers that track the sun from east to west throughout the day greatly increasing the efficiency of the project. Throughout the design and construction of the project, groSolar utilized numerous local contractors and small businesses to assist in the development of the project. In addition to the clean energy that the project provides to residents of the City of Jacksonville, the site features wetlands flowage improvements and landscaping designed to positively impact the site and surrounding ecosystem.

The NWJAX project will produce approximately 17,000 MW hours of clean renewable energy in its first year of operation; enough electricity to power more than 1,200 homes. The project also provides significant environmental benefits; the annual clean renewable energy produced is approximately equivalent to the carbon offset achieved by planting over 300,000 trees or taking 2,500 cars off the road each year1.

A project dedication, hosted by groSolar, is scheduled for June 8th and will welcome partners from JEA, AEP, and local stakeholders.

“JEA is committed to environmental stewardship and to increasing its level of carbon-free renewable energy generation,” said Paul McElroy, CEO of JEA. “This partnership with groSolar will expand our solar footprint and provide our customers with an environmentally friendly and efficient option for their power needs.”

“The Northwest Jacksonville Solar Partners Project is an excellent example of how public and private entities can work together to complete a project that will provide significant environmental and economic benefits to the Jacksonville community for years to come,” said Myles Burnsed, groSolar Vice President of Business Development, who led the origination and development of this project.