Blairsville Solar Farm Provides Solar Energy Educational Tool for Local College

Young Harris College students and faculty tour 1MW Blairsville, Georgia solar farm

Lake Mary, Fl., May 4th, 2011 -ESA Renewables, LLC, a leading turnkey solar system provider, recently opened the Blairsville, Georgia solar farm that it financed, engineered, procured, and constructed to physics students and faculty members of Young Harris College for an educational renewable energy tour.

Recently, more than 30 college students and faculty members led by Ray Baishali, PhD, Instructor of Physics and Physical Geography, traveled to Blairsville, approximately 10 miles away from campus to tour the five acre photovoltaic farm.

“I would like to thank ESA and BRMEMC for providing the students this golden opportunity to visit the Blairsville solar farm. The trip was exceptionally useful and informative,” said Dr. Baishali Ray.

Students and faculty were able to walk amongst the four 260kW PV powered inverters and 4,340 high-powered solar modules as they were instructed on the working operations of the system.

"It was an honor to host Young Harris College and to be able to be a part of the students continuing education," said Jeffrey Burkett, President of ESA Renewables.  "Solar energy has gained momentum in the US.  Through simple, educational programs such as this, ESA Renewables hopes to pass on our knowledge to future generations to continue the innovation and growth of the solar industry.”

The renewable energy producing farm was commissioned in January of 2011 and is located approximately 100 miles northeast of Atlanta in Blairsville, GA.  The 1MW project is expected to generate approximately 1,303,000 kWh of energy annually.  This solar array constitutes the largest privately held ground mounted connected system in Georgia. 

“Blue Ridge Mountain EMC was pleased to be able to facilitate this opportunity for Young Harris College students to observe up close an operational solar farm. We appreciate Javier Gorbe, Vice-President of Technical Operations at ESA Renewables, for taking the time to speak with the students and answer their questions concerning renewable energy,” said Byron McCombs, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC Staff Assistant.

Founded in 2002, ESA is a solar engineering company positioned as a leader in the industry providing turnkey solar PV systems globally. ESA owns and operates a diverse portfolio of over 400 solar PV power generating facilities located in the United States, Puerto Rico, Spain and Italy. ESA’s scope of services includes financing, engineering, construction, testing and operation and maintenance. For more information about ESA, please visit or call 407-536-5346.