1.92 MW bifacial solar array & single axis tracker to significantly improve city’s power production
Paragould, Arkansas – 22 June 2021 – Located in northeastern Arkansas, Paragould has enlisted EnergyLink as the primary design build contractor for a solar project designed to help the city in its efforts to be more sustainable. The 1.92 MW solar installation is unique in the amount of bifacial solar panels utilized and by their use in combination with single axis trackers.
Bifacial solar panels are rarely used in utility scale applications of this size, making it a landmark case study for the future of solar farm tech in the US. Mounting them over grass will allow for 15-25% more solar power generation by collecting both direct sunlight and reflected light from the ground.
The use of single axis trackers in combination with bifacial panels is also a rare feat. These trackers rotate the panels to the East and West throughout the day to capture more sunlight and generate more clean, renewable power.
The new solar tech is not the only unique part about this project, it is also being financed uniquely through EnergyLink’s partnership with Evergy, which is similar arrangement to a Solar Service Agreement (SSA). Project Executive, Jeremy Nolen, describes the situation as a, “win-win for all parties involved.”
“With this financing agreement, Evergy’s system provides cheaper power than the local centralized utility would. They own the system and will benefit from excess solar production sold to Paragould’s municipal power company. The city of Paragould benefits from lower energy costs,” Nolen explained.
This modern solar project is expected to be finished in late 2021 to early 2022. It will allow the city of Paragould to reduce their carbon footprint, working towards achieving their sustainability goals in a more economically feasible way with greater power generation potential.
If you’d like to learn more about how EnergyLink can help your organization achieve similar or better results, call (720) 597-3861 or visit goenergylink.com.
About EnergyLink
EnergyLink is a NAESCO accredited Energy Efficiency Contractor (EEC) who designs, builds, and funds renewable energy and energy efficiency products for commercial businesses, public institutions, cities, municipalities, and nonprofits.
About Evergy
Evergy is an American investor-owned utility (IOU) with publicly traded stock that has its headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, and in Kansas City, Missouri. The company was formed from a merger of Westar Energy of Topeka and Great Plains Energy of Kansas City, Missouri, parent company of Kansas City Power & Light. Evergy is the largest electric company in Kansas, serving more than 1.6 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in the eastern half of the state.
