Clay County Electric Cooperative to Build Solar Array with Today’s Power, Inc.

Clay County Electric Cooperative (CCEC) has reached an agreement with Today’s Power, Inc. (TPI) to build a 1-megawatt solar array near the cooperative’s headquarters Corning.

This project is one of the country’s most advanced systems and will include a single-axis tracking array of more than 3,700 panels that will cover about 8 acres. The system is designed to mitigate a portion of CCEC’s peak demand and will produce a maximum peak power of 1 MW. TPI will install 1.4 MW of DC power to invert it to 1 MW of AC.

“We are pleased to add solar energy to our reliable energy resources,” said David Smith, General Manager of Clay County Electric Cooperative. “We are eager to measure and track the energy generated by the solar array for educational purposes.”

The solar facility will provide local generation for CCEC members. The distribution co-op serves more than 12,000 member accounts across parts of Clay, Greene, Randolph, Sharp, Butler (MO), Ripley (MO) and Oregon (MO) counties.

“Clay County Electric Cooperative is a trusted, local energy provider dedicated to providing our members with reliable service,” Smith said. “Today’s Power will provide a proven, utility-grade solution to meet requests by members to add alternative energy sources to our resources. Clay County Electric will use the data from this array to consider future behind-the-meter generation planning to benefit our members.”

This is the 11th electric cooperative in Arkansas that TPI has developed a solar or storage project. Most of the projects are within the scope of 1 MW as a result of a utility partnership in Arkansas.

“We are very excited to partner with CCEC. It will save CCEC members substantially over the next 25-30 years and stimulate the economy of Clay County and Corning,” TPI President Michael Henderson said. “This project demonstrates how progressive the CCEC board of directors and management are in meeting membership needs and enhancing their value. This project will provide an investment in the CCEC community and their local school.”

Today’s Power, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AECI), a Little Rock-based utility service cooperative owned by 17 Arkansas electric distribution cooperatives. Today’s Power, Inc. offers turn-key solar photovoltaic systems, energy storage systems, electric vehicles and charging stations for all sizes and applicatio