BURKE COUNTY, Ga. – Amazon announces three new solar farms in Georgia. One of the farms will be in Burke county.
Amazon’s newest solar projects will open in Wheeler, Oglethorpe, and Burke counties, bringing them a new local resource for clean energy.
Amazon currently has 30 renewable energy projects across the Southeast.
The company tells us the new solar farm will also bring economic development and green job skills to local communities.
“Burke County is the largest land county in the state of Georgia, so agriculture is very, very important,” said Dick Byne, blueberry farmer, Waynesboro City Councilman.
In a news release, Amazon stated it would bring a 40 megawatt solar farm to Burke County.
Byne tells us solar farms in the area have already been profitable.
“There’s one pretty close to where I have my farm, and he’s very happy with it,” said Byne.
In addition to bringing a solar farm to the area, Amazon says they want people who live in Burke County to directly benefit from it. In a statement, director of energy and water strategy Charley Daitch said:
“These energy projects are helping provide clean energy to local grids, create jobs, support local businesses and farmers, and boost the rural tax base in the southeast, which are all part of Amazon’s commitment to become a more sustainable company.”
Byne says he sees big opportunities for solar farms in Burke County.
“We have so much energy, solar energy, that we’re not using. It’s just being – it just comes to earth and we’re just, we’re not using it. I think we ought to use anything we can get our hands on. It’s free. I mean it’s not stupid, it’s no pollution,” said Byne.
Byne tells us that he believes Burke County farmers like himself will likely see great returns per acre with solar farms.
“I mean, it’s a good thing for us to look at, economically,” said Byne. “It is the future. And you cannot pretend that it’s not going to happen, because it is going to happen and you just have to see where you fit into that future.”
Amazon tells us that once all eight projects in Georgia are fully running, it will bring enough energy to power more than 123,000 homes per year.
