First Electric Cooperative of Jacksonville adds solar with Today’s Power, Inc.
by February 9, 2016 3:17 pm 297 views
First Electric Cooperative of Jacksonville said Tuesday (Feb. 9) that it has entered into a service agreement with Arkansas-based Today’s Power Inc. (TPI) to install a one-megawatt AC solar array.
Today’s Power is a subsidiary of Little Rock-based Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc., which has unveiled a number of similar deals to provide solar power to local electric cooperatives and business in Arkansas and Oklahoma in the past year.
“First Electric exists to serve our members and deliver electricity in the most affordable manner possible,” said Don Crabbe, president and CEO of First Electric. “The TPI solution will enable our cooperative to realize cost savings by reducing the demand for wholesale power and assisting in peak shaving. The low after-tax installed cost, the safety of the low-voltage design and the use of experienced construction crews to install the system were key factors in our decision.”
The 3,840-panel system is scheduled to be operational in late fall. The TPI system will involve approximately five acres near Benton. In August, Ouachita Electric Cooperative of Camden entered into a service agreement for a 100-kilowatt AC solar array that will be installed by TPI, which is also an authorized distributor and installer for solar photovoltaic systems.
The Ouachita Electric solar project is a tenKsolar (TKS) Solar REFLECT XT-26 photovoltaic system that will involve approximately 312 solar panels at 410 watts each and will be installed on the Camden cooperative’s campus. The installation will produce enough energy to support the requirements of Ouachita’s headquarters.
“Our Ten K Solar REFLECT 26 photovoltaic system is very efficient and requires much less land than other solar array energy options,” said Michael Henderson, president of TPI. “First Electric’s customized system was designed to minimize demand billing from its wholesale power provider.”
According to Henderson, First Electric is one of many electric cooperatives launching TPI-based solar programs across the country. He said TPI offers electric cooperatives opportunities to realize savings that previously were only available to taxable companies.