Russellville-based Synergy South has big plans for city, local schools as part of company’s growth

The Russellville Electric Board’s largest off-peak customer is a business you’ve likely never heard of in a location you’ve probably never noticed.

But what Synergy South is doing within the data center/AI and Digital Asset Mining, or Bitcoin, industries, must be working because the company wants to increase its monthly electricity consumption to between 10-15 megawatts.

Synergy South is located on the south end of Jackson Avenue on property it leases from the REB, just south of the Corridor V (Alabama Highway 24) overpass.

These industries are growing exponentially and use a massive amount of electricity. A key way they keep costs down is to maximize use during off-peak periods, where demand for electricity, as well as the cost, is lower. By doing so, they provide a steady source of demand for electricity during times when excess power is available, primarily late at night or early morning when usage drops off. 

The company consumes this surplus power that otherwise might remain unused, which helps to stabilize the power grid. And that ‘stranded’ energy may then be used in various AT data center industries, as explained by Kar Sola, one of two Synergy South co-owners along with Eddie Cloud.

Bitcoin mining involves the process where transactions are ‘officially entered’ on the blockchain, and is the way new Bitcoins are launched into circulation. 

The complicated process involves Bitcoin ‘miners’ like Synergy South using massive hardware and software to generate cryptographic numbers that do not exceed a number set by the Bitcoin network’s algorithm. 

Still confused? You’re not alone.

Essentially, the first ‘miner’ who finds a solution receives Bitcoins as a reward, and the process begins again. The Bitcoin rewards are a the motivation for miners to assist in primary purpose of mining, to earn the right to record transactions on the blockchain for the network to verify and confirm, according to www.investopedia.com.

It’s a pricey competition with an ever-growing number of competitors all working toward the same goal. And miners use application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), custom-designed single use electronic circuits, in order to be competitive in the process. 

The equipment necessary for Bitcoin mining is expensive and expansive. Synergy South’s mainframe computers are housed in storage containers located on the South Jackson Avenue property.

A second Digital Asset Mining industry is in the process of setting up in Russellville once it obtains approval from the Tennessee Valley Authority after an interconnection study, a prerequisite for customers who make large electricity load requests, is completed. 

Synergy South has big plans for its growth, and to expand its involvement in the Russellville community. In May 2025, Synergy South, in partnership with REB, funded digital scholar awards for two Russellville High School graduating seniors. The male and female recipient each received a $2,500 scholarship based on GPA, extracurricular, academic/personal accomplishments and a personal statement paper.

And as Synergy South grows, so will the scholarship recipients. The company will award two digital scholar awards for every 10 megawatts of power provided to the DPS data center. 

Additionally, Synergy South, through its Digital Asset Work Guild Program, will employ at least four students per 10 megawatts of power provided, with no cap to the potential number of student employees.

The increased power access will increase the opportunity for students and provide a greater diversity of skills learned through energization of additional cutting-edge data center technology.

These commitments were presented to the Russellville Electric Board at one of the board’s business meetings earlier this year, as part of a Digital Assets Scholarship and Training Program..

“This is truly a partnership with the Russellville Electric Board,” said REB board member Nick Willis. “You’re located on our property using our product and scholarships will be presented on behalf of both of us. We appreciate you being a part of our community and your giving back to the community from the start of your locating in Russellville,” Willis said.

Sola described another advantage for his company with the partnership. As competition in the ‘global arms race’ in the Datacenter/AI and Digital Asset Mining industries increases, his company will require new employees with specialized skills at a rate faster than the educational system can keep up with.

And nationally, if the United States is to keep pace with the digital arms race, there must be training for top students to become leaders or innovators in the industry.

The company also plans to create a cooperative work program for students to learn skills needed in the data center and in hardware maintenance and repair, HVAC and cooling systems, cybersecurity and networking, software design and construction/engineering.

The company will pay students who participate in the co-op work program.

And this is just the beginning of Synergy South’s impact in the community, Sola explained.

“This is an up and coming industry that is very competitive and we want to be a leader in this,” Sola said. “This is the type of vision that made America great and there are opportunities for rural communities to participate in this industry—the only requirement is electricity.

“We want to focus around the local school and will offer jobs for students. That’s really our vision, And through our co-op program, students will come in and learn different facets of our industry. We are definitely looking to fill more jobs with local students and graduates,” he added.