New solar farm comes online in Franklinton

By Wesley Muller
Contributing Writer

(lailluminator.com) — A new utility-scale solar farm went online Monday in Washington Parish, generating enough electricity to power roughly 11,500 homes.

D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, one of the nation’s largest independent solar power producers, unveiled its 50-megawatt solar facility on about 285 acres of private farmland just outside Franklinton. The Sunlight Road Solar facility boasts new technology in the form of all-terrain, sun-tracking sensors developed by the Oakland, Calif.-based Nevados.

Nevados’ TRACE solar trackers automatically tilt the rows of solar modules toward the sun with flexible joints that allow them to be mounted on uneven terrain. This minimized the amount of land grading needed in Washington Parish, allowing it to retain much of its lush green pastures. It also prevents runoff and protects the area’s watershed, according to a Nevados news release.

The all-terrain trackers also allow the modules to go into a “stow” position that tilts the modules to any angle to increase their resilience to extreme weather such as hurricanes and hail storms.

The solar farm is selling its electricity to Entergy Louisiana.

This article originally published in the October 28, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.