ATLANTA (May 1, 2018) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that the firm served as legal counsel to Cherry Street Energy, LLC in its partnership agreement with the City of Atlanta to execute a clean energy program. The initiative, called the Solar Atlanta Program, will provide cost-effective, local solar power on 24 municipal buildings.
The Solar Atlanta Program was spearheaded by the Mayor’s Office of Resilience in partnership with several other City of Atlanta departments to advance the sustainability commitment for 100 percent of municipal operations to transition to clean energy by 2025. The first and largest non-utility of its kind in Georgia, Cherry Street Energy, was awarded the contract after a competitive bidding process. Through a Solar Energy Procurement Agreement (SEPA) with the City of Atlanta, Cherry Street will provide clean energy installations at municipal facilities, offering predictably priced electricity to the City of Atlanta over the 20-year contract. The program will displace a significant percentage of energy usage at the Solar Atlanta facilities, initially including fire stations and recreation centers, with sustainable energy garnered from panels installed by Cherry Street Energy partner Radiance Solar.
Third-party ownership of solar energy facilities was made possible through the passing of the Solar Power Free-Market Financing Act of 2015 (Georgia HB 57), which allows non-utility companies like Cherry Street Energy to provide solar power. SGR Partner Steve O’Day was a principle author and negotiator of HB 57 to allow Georgia to be the first state in the south (of 26 nationally) to enable competitive energy markets.
The SGR Atlanta legal team included Partner Steve O’Day head of the Environmental Practice and Partner Nick Rueter in the Corporate Practice.
About Cherry Street Energy
Cherry Street Energy is a renewable energy company helping to transform Georgia’s energy marketplace. The company is building the power infrastructure of tomorrow with distributed generation installations (local renewable energy systems) to help tackle global sustainability concerns. Cherry Street Energy develops, finances, owns, operates and maintains solar photovoltaic systems to deliver predictably priced electricity to its customers, offering clean energy sources all over the state – from police stations and universities to movie sets and construction sites. For more information about Cherry Street Energy, please visit www.cherrystreetenergy.com.
About Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP
SGR is a full service, international law firm that advises regional, national and global businesses on a wide range of legal matters. The firm’s more than 220 attorneys provide legal counsel in more than 45 specialized practice areas, including corporate transactions, litigation, intellectual property, aviation, banking, real estate, construction and employment law. Founded in 1893, SGR has offices in Atlanta, Austin, Jacksonville, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Southampton, and Washington, D.C.