LightWave Solar Installs 2MW Community Solar Project

Published August 10, 2018

On August 1, less than four months after we started construction, LightWave Solar and Nashville Electric Service (NES) commissioned Music City Solar, the first Community Solar project in Nashville. With over 17,000 solar panels totaling 2 megawatts (MW), this system will supply NES with over 2.8 million kilowatt-hours of clean and renewable electricity each year, enough to power about 210 homes!

Now, all NES customers, even renters, have the opportunity to invest in local solar power. Participants can buy one or more panels for $215 each, and their monthly electric bills will show a solar credit. A unique part of Music City Solar is the Solar Angels program which makes it easy for participants to donate their credits to a low income household.

“We are proud of Music City Solar which gives more people in Nashville access to solar energy,” says NES Energy Services Engineering Manager, Tony Richman. “We relied on LightWave Solar to deliver a high quality system for our community. LightWave Solar went above and beyond in terms of expertise and attention to detail while still making this the first project to come online under the TVA’s Distributed Solar Solutions program,” Richman says.

The project utilizes an old waste disposal landfill in Madison, Tennessee, which has been closed and unused for over 40 years. Instead of penetrating the ground with poles, LightWave Solar installed concrete ballasts to hold down the arrays. The solar panels float on the surface and will be flexible to settling over time.

Community solar is a great way to go solar for those who do not own their own property, or who have shaded roofs, no suitable space for panels, or otherwise cannot invest in their own solar system.

Learn more and sign up for Music City Solar here!

If you would like to discuss a potential community solar project for your organization, contact LightWave Solar.

NES Music City Solar aka Community Solar