AAC
them think outside the box and bring fresh innovation in serv- ing the people of Washington County,” said Alex Ray, director of business development for performance infrastructure, Ar- kansas of Johnson Controls Inc. “We are proud and honored to deliver such a milestone project for the county and region.” It is not the first solar project Seal Solar and JCI have col- laborated on. In August 2019, Jefferson County officials unveiled their
newly installed solar array providing power to public build- ings. Te solar panels, located on the property of the deten- tion center in Pine Bluff, were the first county-owned solar array in the state. Arkansas had its biggest year of solar installation ever in 2018, according to a market report by GMT Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association. Te report notes that Arkansas had only 22 megawatts of solar power at the end of 2017, but then saw its totals rise 552 percent in 2018. A new surge of solar projects followed the passage of Act 464 of 2019. Tat legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Dave Wallace, provided local governments, schools, churches, state agencies and non-profits to benefit from federal incentives and unlock capital for investment in local communities. It cut costs and timelines on solar projects through provisions that increase the size limit of commercial net-metered solar arrays from 300 kilowatts to 1 megawatt. Te array in Jefferson County generates approximately 176
kilowatts of power. In October 2019, Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde an-
COVER STORY
nounced a 20-year agreement with Today’s Power Inc. (TPI) to develop and install solar panels at the Little Rock Port In- dustrial Park and Pulaski County Justice Complex. Tat project had dual goals of protecting public safety and
reducing energy costs, Hyde said in an interview with Talk Business & Politics. Te first step of the project was a road and bridge test on 1.2 miles of Lawson Road in west Pulaski County using asphalt modified with recycled tire rubber. Te road paving project was completed in September 2019 at a cost of more than $192,000, officials said, and will be evaluated each year to compare wear-and-tear in comparison to traditional asphalt. Pulaski County also worked with Today’s Power Inc. (TPI)
to provide 8 megawatts of solar power for county use. TPI financed, owns and operates the solar arrays located on nearly 40 acres at the Port Authority’s industrial park and 12 acres at the county Justice Complex. Under the 20-year power purchase agreement, the county will buy electricity generated by the arrays at 4.9 cents per kilowatt hour over 20 years. Te project is expected to gener- ate between 80 percent and 100 percent of the county’s elec- tric demand, powering buildings such as the courthouse and jail among other facilities. Savings in the first year was esti- mated at $150,000. Howard County set out to save money and to improve
county operations by generating enough solar power to pay See “SOLAR” on Page 26 >>>
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