Vanderbilt University has expanded access to clean energy in the Southeast while further offsetting the university’s carbon footprint and maintaining its carbon neutrality. This is thanks to the first “flip the switch” on a solar farm developed through the university’s multiyear collaboration with Clearloop, a subsidiary of Silicon Ranch, an alumni-founded solar company based in Nashville.
The location model that Clearloop created provides socioeconomically under-invested areas with access to clean energy. This allows Vanderbilt to be part of decarbonizing the TVA grid and broadening clean energy access across the Southeast—in addition to receiving the offset credits that help maintain the university’s carbon neutrality. Vanderbilt’s investment also spurs additional investment in these areas by helping to signal to other businesses that there is advanced and sustainable infrastructure available.
This new solar farm is in Panola County, Mississippi, a rural and diverse community at the intersection of the Mississippi Delta and the Appalachian foothills. The project will help avoid …