Pine Gate brings green energy to Greenwood

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Pine Gate Renewables, a national utility-scale solar developer, is bringing 13 midsize solar farm projects to Greenwood County. The combined capacity from these sites totals 25.5 megawatts, enough energy to power roughly 4,845 homes annually, according to a news release. These projects will add to Pine Gate’s existing 16 projects in the state.

Construction of the 13 Greenwood County projects will be staggered over the next three years with the first three starting within the next few weeks, the news release said.

Development of these projects will bring construction jobs to Greenwood County and help boost the local economy with the temporary influx of additional contractors to the area, Erich Miarka, senior project manager for Pine Gate Renewables, said in the news release.

“Greenwood County, the city of Greenwood, and the (Greenwood) Partnership Alliance have been fantastic to work with throughout the process and were vital to this accomplishment,” Miarka said in the news release. “We are excited to bring more solar power to the Upstate and provide clean, renewable energy to the people of Greenwood County.” 

Pine Gate Renewables is a U.S. solar energy developer that specializes in project finance, land origination, project development management and community outreach.

“We would like to welcome Pine Gate Renewables to Greenwood County,” County Council Chairman Steve Brown said in the release. “Their investment continues to grow our county’s reputation as a top business destination for industries of all types. We look forward to working with Pine Gate Renewables over the next several years as their solar installations come online.”

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, at the end of 2019, there were 2,983 solar jobs within South Carolina.

“The city of Greenwood is appreciative of Pine Gate Renewables’ decision to invest in solar within our municipality — a decision that will help diversify and grow our city’s economy,” Greenwood Mayor Brandon Smith said in the release. “We are committed to being long term partners of Pine Gate Renewables and wish them great success.”

The company’s most recent project in the state was a 2.8-MW site called Bonefish Solar in Clarendon County. That site was online in December, and the company says it will create enough energy to power about 500 homes.

The Greenwood Partnership Alliance is a nonprofit organization established to promote and enhance the economic growth and development of Greenwood County. Since 2007, the alliance’s efforts have resulted in the announcement of more than 3,400 new jobs and more than $1.3 billion in capital investment in Greenwood County, according to the news release.