Producers Rice Mill to erect largest solar storage microgrid in the state
by March 21, 2023 4:43 pm 1,553 views
Producers Rice Mill will have a new solar storage microgrid developed by Scenic Hill Solar and it will be a record-breaking.
The groups announced the project on Tuesday (March 21), but a timetable to complete the microgrid and price tag were not released.
The Producers’ project is the largest commercial and industrial solar project in Arkansas history and one of the largest microgrid projects in the U.S., the companies said. Since 1943, the Producers Rice Mill cooperative’s members – now including more than 2,000 U.S. farmers — have relied on the Producers’ facility in Stuttgart, to process, store, and ship their harvest around the world. The facility mills more than 40 million bushels of rice every year.
“We project the microgrid will deliver millions of dollars in savings on our electric bills over the next 30 years, and those savings will be passed on to more than 2,000 hard-working farm families. It will further our commitment to sustainability and deliver greater economic security as we continue our tradition of providing one of the world’s most important foods,” said Keith Glover, CEO of Producers Rice Mill. “In addition, our solar power plant, battery storage, and microgrid will allow Producers to deliver power to the utility grid during times of grid stress, providing a huge benefit for other utility customers.”
The 20 MW AC solar array designed and installed by CS Energy will be supported by a 41.2 MWh lithium-ion energy storage facility, allowing the mill to continue operations during periods of electrical curtailment by the local utility. The energy storage system will allow the facility to be powered by the local grid or, when needed, draw power from the solar installation during interruptions in electrical service.
The rapid response offered by battery storage and KORE Power’s microgrid controller system will mitigate power quality issues and intermittent stoppages at the plant. The installation will also increase renewable energy used by the facility, providing 67% of the facility’s energy needs. The project was developed and is being built under the direction of Scenic Hill Solar.
“Arkansas is the nation’s leading rice producer, growing about half of the United States’ total crop, and Producers Rice Mill is a true farmer cooperative serving more than 2,000 farm family members in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Missouri,” said Scenic Hill CEO Bill Halter. “With this project we will be giving Producers the power it needs to ensure that these farmers’ products are getting to customers around the globe with clean, renewable power generated on-site and available on demand.”
Producers Rice Mill processes a range of domestically grown rice products including long grain milled white rice, long grain milled brown rice, medium grain rice, parboiled rice, as well as rice bran, rice hulls, and more.
“Producers Rice Mill is an engine of Arkansas’ economy, supporting industry across the region and providing food for the world,” Halter said. “Giving reliable clean power to this facility can make it a model for industry around the nation.”
KORE will install an energy storage system and microgrid controller built at the KORE Solutions facility in Waterbury, Vermont using KORE’s Mark 1 lithium-ion batteries and U.S.-manufactured EPC inverters. KORE will monitor the system’s operation from its network operations center in Vermont and will dispatch crews annually to support the microgrid and assist Producers in optimizing the controller’s operation over time to best support the facility’s needs.