Today’s Power carries on amid COVID-19; moving to new headquarters in North Little Rock

Today’s Power Inc. (TPI), a renewable energy company of Little Rock-based Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc., continues to work on solar array projects as it moves its corporate office to North Little Rock and promotes two employees.

No TPI projects have been impacted as a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, said Jennah Denney, marketing and public relations coordinator. The company soon expects to announce two new projects, which are already under contract, and another that’s in contract review, she said.

The company continues to build arrays with single-axis tracking technology, fixed-tilt and rooftop systems. A ceremony debuting a 2-megawatt solar energy system that will include two arrays with unique solar technologies and 6 megawatts of battery storage in northeast Arkansas is expected to take place after the social (physical) distancing guidelines are lifted, Denney said. Because of the guidelines, the company cannot host such a ceremony, which usually have at least 30 to 40 attendees.

“Although it is business as usual at Today’s Power, as COVID-19 continues to spread globally, our team is taking precautions to ensure the safety of the Today’s Power community — including our employees and their families, customers and prospective customers, partners and visitors,” Denney said. “Even with everything going on and extra precautions, the Today’s Power team is not slowing down. Currently, in the middle of construction of several megawatts of solar power facilities, the TPI team is also making headway on additional Arkansas-based battery energy storage projects at the moment.

“The storage of energy really is the next frontier, and Today’s Power has been able to accomplish that with battery energy storage,” she added. “One of our next project announcements will also include on-site battery storage and will be located in south Arkansas.

TPI worked with the city of Fayetteville and Ozarks Electric Cooperative to complete a 10-megawatt array with 24 megawatts of battery storage in July. The system was debuted in a Flip the Switch ceremony in September but was in the testing phase and troubleshooting phase as of late July. It was the first array in the mid-South to include battery storage, Denney said previously.

In northeast Arkansas, TPI is working with Southland Gin, Delta Farms and Craighead Electric Cooperative to develop the 2-megawatt system with the 6 megawatts of battery storage in Bay. Construction started in late November, and like the Fayetteville project, the system will be operational before its Flip the Switch ceremony.

The battery storage system is producing test energy as the project will soon be connected to the grid, Denney said. TPI is aware of the recent tornado damage in the area and will ensure the safety of all those working on the power lines before the system is connected to the grid in the coming weeks, she added.

Other Arkansas solar projects that TPI previously announced include those for Bearden School District, Paris, Star City and Texarkana.

Meanwhile, TPI purchased a 34,222-square-foot building for $1.75 million from Goodrich Corp., Denney said. TPI has started to transition to the new building at 7300 Industry Drive in North Little Rock and plans to host a ribbon cutting after the move is completed. TPI’s existing 10,000-square-foot headquarters is in Little Rock, and the company been there since spring 2016. It has 14 full-time employees.

Also, the company recently announced the promotion of two of its employees. Keaghan Economon has been promoted to manager of operations. He joined TPI in 2018 as an electrical engineer and has helped the company develop energy storage systems for the utility sector. In his new role, he will lead a team of project managers that develop solar, storage and electric vehicle-related projects for utilities. Economon graduated from the Colorado School of Mines.

Learon Dalby has been promoted to manager of business development. He joined the company in 2019 as project foreman and communication/data coordinator. He’s also sales coordinator and successfully closed several solar projects in the school, education and public entity sector. In his new role, Dalby will manage the growth in the retail sector and oversee sales and business development. He will lead a team of retail project managers, system designers, proposal developers and the communication team. Dalby graduated from Harding University.