Atlanta Motorsports Park (AMP), a motorsports club in Dawsonville, Georgia, has unveiled a solar farm on its campus to add power through an array of 747 panels, generating 480 watts per panel for a total of 358 kW.
Once operational, the solar farm will produce enough energy to power nearly 300 homes. The campus will reduce strain on the local power grid while offsetting the environmental cost of over half of AMP's operational needs.
The solar installation will power about 60% of the campus's daily operational requirements with clean, renewable energy. In the beginning, it will be connected to 5 buildings, including the karting facilities and the park's Sky Deck.
According to an estimation tool provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the installation can generate 450,300 kWh of clean energy annually, offsetting 7,312 pounds of CO2 emissions over a 30-year period. This offset is equivalent to eliminating over 16.6 million miles of road vehicle travel or similar to planting 109,600 trees.
Hannah Solar, an Atlanta-based solar installation and maintenance firm, has helped AMP with the solar energy configuration. The firm acquired panels manufactured by Hanwha Q. Cells at its Dalton, Georgia, fabrication plant. The array uses SolarEdge inverters and racking hardware by Ironridge and Panelclaw.
The project was able to recover 50% of its total costs using a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems, or REAP, Grant with the guidance of Hannah Solar consultants.
Hannah Solar COO Joseph Waybright highlighted AMP's solar energy upgrade and its transition to electric vehicles to create recurring benefits for reducing carbon emissions.
AMP plans to initiate solar energy generation once installation and setup are completed in Q3 2024. Its startup will coincide with the addition of karting course lighting, allowing karting events and races to continue at night. AMP has also added residential CirCuit Villas and Condos at the park, along with upgrades to member amenities for motorsports enthusiasts.
