New solar power generation facility to bring jobs, electric generation to Ellis County.
Ennis will soon be home to a new solar farm being constructed that will produce enough electricity to power more than 24,000 homes in North and Central Texas.
Construction on the solar farm located 10 miles southwest of Ennis has already begun and will bring opportunity for up to 500 construction workers in the area before the power generation facility is complete sometime by the end of the year.
Known as the Elm Branch Solar Farm, the facility will add 163 megawatts to the state’s electric grid, which will produce 272,000 megawatt hours of electricity for North and Central Texas. The power added to Texas’ electric supply will be enough power to keep more than 24,790 homes fully powered every year. Compared to fossil fuel electric generation, the solar farm will cut CO2 pollution for the electricity it generates by 156,000 metric tons. The facility will consist of more than 360,000 solar panels on 1,350 acres.
The solar farm is one of two currently being built by Lightsource BP in the North Texas area. The second is Briar Creek Solar Farm which is under construction near Corsicana and will also be complete by the end of the year. Briar Creek will have about the same power generation capacity as the Ennis facility. Together, the two power facilities represent a $380 million investment in the area.
The solar farms will operate silently, and as an added benefit to the local economy and environment, the land they sit on will support pollinator habitat for butterflies and ground-nesting bees. The panels on the solar farms are elevated above the ground, providing space beneath for wildlife. Solar farms create protection and shelter for local animal species – the panels protect from wind, rain and snow, they provide shade in hot weather, and they also give overhead coverage from birds of prey and other predators. Where practical, Lightsource BP maintains low-growing vegetation on the facility’s margins by planting wildflowers.
Lightsource BP is a clean energy developer operating in 15 countries. In the U.S., the company has already built solar farms in Pennsylvania, Kansas, Colorado and California.
Construction of the facilities is being completed by industrial builder, McCarthy. Anyone interested in applying for one of the construction jobs may find more information on the McCarthy jobs webpage.