Stuttgart is going solar in a big way.
This week, the Delta town known for its rice and duck hunting will have a groundbreaking for a new solar power plant for the local school district.
The Stuttgart School District has partnered with Scenic Hill Solar to develop the power plant, which is designed to have 1.3 megawatts (MW) of capacity and generate approximately 90 percent renewable energy for the district’s operations. The project was first announced in January 2020.
The groundbreaking will be held Wednesday, June 24, at 5 p.m. in Stuttgart. The site is located a quarter mile west of Highway 165. This is not the only groundbreaking Scenic Hill Solar has this week. It is also breaking ground on a solar plant for the City of Forrest City on Monday.
The district will have two solar power plants in total. One will be the 1.3 MW system and the second will be a 200 KW power plant. The second solar power plant will be reviewed by the Arkansas Public Service Commission, according to a Scenic Hill Solar release.
“We are excited about our partnership with the Stuttgart School District to build solar power plants to provide up to 100 percent solar electricity for the District,” Bill Halter, CEO of Scenic Hill Solar, said in a statement. “We commend Dr. Gales and the Stuttgart School Board for their vision of a cleaner, brighter, and more fiscally secure future for the District. They are joining many of the major institutions in Stuttgart in transforming their energy supply and creating jobs in the process. This solar power plant will provide an over $2 million capital boost for Stuttgart during these very challenging economic conditions. Renewable energy continues to pay major dividends for communities across Arkansas, as this groundbreaking makes evident. With the approval of the Arkansas Public Service Commission, we are confident that the Stuttgart School District will set a precedent that will benefit school districts across the State as they make the switch to clean energy.”
Combined, the two power plants are expected to generate 2,515,000 kWhin the first year alone and more than 69,791,250 kWh over the course of 30 years. Scenic Hill Solar estimates that the two systems combined should produce sufficient electricity to fully power the school district’s operations with renewable energy.
Scenic Hill Solar has partnered on multiple major solar projects in the Stuttgart region. It helped to develop a 3.15 MW solar power plant for the City of Stuttgart and as well as a commercial solar array and energy storage facility for Producers Rice Mill.
READ MORE: Scenic Hill Solar Breaking Ground on Forrest City Solar Power Plant
