Clean, green, solar energy is arriving in Jackson in 2021.
The economic impacts to Jackson ($212,000,000 over the first ten years of operation) and the publicity of a system of this scale are expected to be dramatic and far-reaching. Our team believes Jackson will tell an inspiring story of what forward-thinking American ingenuity and a culture embracing Clean Energy can do to change this nation’s rust belt into a green belt.
Community Development Enterprises is building a $55,000,000 Community-Solar Microgrid on Roosevelt Parkway to provide solar power to nearby businesses.
The solar and its batteries will supply customers with much of the power they use, day and night, directly wired from the solar to customers’ buildings. Customers will also remain connected to the utility grid for additional power.
When the grid goes down, customers will continue to receive uninterruptible power from the Solar Microgrid.
Hardened against even tornadoes: the solar panels have been proven to withstand 240 mph winds, and the batteries are in their own air-conditioned, fireproof, windproof buildings.
Acquiring your own commercial solar facility in Jackson is hard to justify economically. There is no metering and no state incentives. The weather is not ideal. It requires adequate-sized, unshaded rooftops or acreage, and you have ongoing operating and maintenance costs. But through economies of scale and tax benefits not available to individual solar owners, a Solar Microgrid solves all these problems.
Customer savings
Guaranteed to lower your electricity rates
Rates guaranteed for 20 years
Options to renew for two more five-year terms
No more unpredictable utility-rate increases
No more costly power failures
Ability to monitor your usage by circuit
No equipment, wiring, or maintenance costs
Other Benefits
- Going green
- Higher-quality power
- Tight control of voltage and frequency
- Steady, reliable, high-quality power
- Lengthens the life of machinery
- No more brown-outs, voltage drops, or frequency fluctuations
Download Information Sheet
CDE Information Sheet
Community Benefits
- Economic Impact: $212,000,000 plus $14,000,000 in new tax revenues and 511 jobs in year one
- Will be the largest Solar Microgrid in the U. S.
- Nationwide publicity: first city in America with a full-time, commercial, Solar Microgrid
- Pioneering in green energy
- Availability of solar and uninterruptible power to attract new businesses, especially manufacturers
- Uninterruptible power to storm shelters and first responders for weather emergencies
- Improve property values
- New programs at Jackson colleges for careers in solar
Who is Eligible?
- Businesses using substantial electricity.
- College and public facilities
- Within 3.5 miles of the Solar Facility
Request for a CDE Proposal
Project Partners
Community Development Enterprises is a Jackson general-partnership joint-venture.
Our partners include Michael Miner (native Jacksonian) and John Meyer with SynEnergy in Virginia, David Shimon and Nissim Levy with E A Solar in Florida, and Dennis Emberling with E A Solar in Brentwood, Tennessee.
The solar is being manufactured and installed by the world’s leading solar developer, SunPower Corp.
The top-quality batteries and management system are designed and manufactured by Kore Power of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. They have a perfect safety and fire record.
The microgrid is being designed, engineered, and installed by Northern Reliability, whose team has designed and deployed over 1,000 microgrids around the world in the last forty years.
Our civil engineers are L. I. Smith & Assoc. of Paris, Tennessee.
