The Ray urges Georgia committee to use interstate right‑of‑way for solar, EV charging and faster transmission

Ally Kelly, executive director of the nonprofit The Ray, told the House Economic Development Committee that Georgia’s interstate right‑of‑way can be a faster, lower‑cost place to build solar, EV charging and transmission projects that support industrial load growth.

Kelly said The Ray began as a Georgia initiative and has expanded nationally. “We were founded in Georgia 10 years ago,” Kelly said, and the group has used philanthropic and federal support to develop projects on an 18‑mile I‑85 corridor designated by the General Assembly. Kelly described the corridor as a testbed for innovations including solar arrays, battery storage, EV charging and rubber‑modified asphalt that improves drainage and reduces hydroplaning.

The Ray presented several demonstrations and policy observations to committee members. Kelly described the organization’s first project as an early high‑capacity EV charging station powered by a small solar array and noted the effort prompted legislative action: House Bill 652 exempted the charging station from the state EV charging tax because commercial transactions are restricted on interstate right‑of‑way. “This was the first solar powered EV charging station on The U.S. Interstate system,” Kelly said, and she pointed to subsequent, larger solar‑plus‑storage EV hubs that include multi‑megawatt solar and battery packs serving dozens of charge ports.

Kelly stressed three advantages of the right‑of‑way: lower land cost, streamlined environmental permitting and reduced local opposition. She told the committee that federal rules treating prioritized projects within interstate fence lines as eligible for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) can speed delivery, and she said the federal government has waived certain fair‑market‑value land assessment requirements for such projects. Kelly also said The Ray’s mapping work has identified more than 12,000 acres of interstate right‑of‑way in Georgia that are suitable for solar development once safety setbacks and transportation projects are accounted for.

The Ray demonstrated a GIS‑based workflow that scores interstate parcels for solar suitability by combining solar irradiance, tree cover, slope, and planned transportation projects. Kelly said the tool can produce 3‑D visualizations, run “glint and glare” checks for motorists, estimate energy output, and calculate uses such as how many homes could be powered or EVs charged from a given site.

Kelly framed right‑of‑way solar and transmission as complementary to industrial development: by siting arrays and direct‑connect battery storage adjacent to factories or logistics hubs on interstate corridors, companies can gain localized resilience and reduce the likelihood of opposition that often accompanies greenfield solar or long, new transmission corridors. She argued that projects built on right‑of‑way could shorten typical transmission timelines dramatically — “transmission projects for example are taking 13 to 15 years to produce; we believe with the efficiencies of the right of way that we could produce a transmission project in 3 to 5 years,” Kelly said.

Committee members asked technical and policy questions about setbacks, ownership and overhead versus underground lines; Kelly said DOTs typically require a safety setback (she cited a 40‑foot planning buffer) and that the Ray models both overhead and underground concepts depending on state preferences. Kelly said The Ray is working on multiple additional projects in Georgia and across the country and that the nonprofit uses a mix of federal grants, philanthropic dollars and fee‑for‑service work to support its technical assistance.

Ending: Kelly asked lawmakers to consider the right‑of‑way as an existing, state‑controlled public asset that can be used to deliver energy, resilience and economic benefit without the same level of land acquisition or community opposition that often slows other projects.