Today’s Power to build 2-megawatt system in Calhoun County
by June 15, 2020 10:49 am 665 views
North Little Rock-based Today’s Power Inc. (TPI) announced Monday (June 15) a partnership with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Ouachita Electric Cooperative (OECC) to build a 2-megawatt solar energy system that includes on-site battery storage in Calhoun County.
The system will be constructed at two sites along Arkansas Highway 203 near Woodberry and adjacent to General Dynamics, a Falls Church, Va.-based aerospace and defense company. Construction is expected to start this month and be completed in August. The combined capacity of the solar arrays comprise 2 megawatts AC and 2.4 megawatts DC, said Jennah Denney, marketing and public relations coordinator for TPI. The combined capacity of the on-site battery storage is 4.8 megawatts and 10.49 megawatt-hours.
The solar arrays, with a total of 6,480 modules, will produce more than 4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in one year, and the batteries have an output of 4.8 megawatts of power for two hours.
“We are excited about this opportunity to partner with TPI and OECC to expand our usage of renewable energy and reduce our carbon footprint at the General Dynamics-OTS Calhoun County facility,” said Eric Ellis, vice president and general manager of Precision Systems at General Dynamics.
OECC will lease and operate the on-site battery storage systems. The arrays will provide the energy for the systems and mitigate a portion of the distribution cooperative’s demand.
“Ouachita Electric Cooperative is proud to partner with one of our local industries to help lower their cost of operations while at the same time lowering cost for all members of our cooperative,” said Mark Cayce, general manager of OECC. “This project is a great example of how industry and utilities can work together to protect the environment, lower cost and improve the reliability of the electric grid.”
The four projects marked the 10th major project for renewable energy in Calhoun County and surrounding areas, according to a news release. And this is TPI’s third battery energy storage project in Arkansas.
“It is a pleasure working with one of the most innovative companies in the world,” TPI President Michael Henderson said. “General Dynamics-OTS has a strong reputation for providing top products and delivering reliable execution for its customers. TPI is honored to work with General Dynamics-OTS to ensure our nation’s defense is operated with clean sustainable energy.”
Each General Dynamics business unit sets its own energy efficiency goals, and the company is collecting data through a third-party firm, the release shows. The arrays will provide renewable capacity to the grids that serve the company in Calhoun County.
TPI is a subsidiary of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc., a Little Rock-based utility service company owned by 17 Arkansas electric distribution cooperatives, including OECC.