Two 1 MW solar fields bring stabilized rates and clean energy to members
On Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, CMS Electric Cooperative celebrated the commissioning of two 1 MW solar projects in Coldwater. Power produced by the field will go directly to members of the co-op as reduced cost of electricity on their monthly bills.
In conjunction with the board meeting, CMS connected the array to the grid alongside Today’s Power, Inc., the owners and operators of the system. This single axis tracking solar field is comprised of two 1 MW fields consisting of 7,000 panels in total.
“We relish the opportunity to provide renewable energy to cooperatives in all states,” Derek Syson, TPI president, said. “Working with CMS Electric has allowed us to expand our reach and provide their members with the clean, sustainable energy they need.”
Today’s Power, Inc. of North Little Rock, Arkansas was selected by CMS as part of the Kansas Cooperative Sun Power Program, a TPI Power Purchase Agreement with 14 Kansas co-ops, to provide the engineering, procurement construction operations and maintenance of the solar field.
CMS Electric General Manager Kirk Thompson said, “Investing in utility-scale solar is the most cost- effective way to benefit all consumer-members of the cooperative, while also investing in a green, clean, renewable source of generation right here in our own community.”
Work on the solar field began in 2021 and was completed in May 2022, after all regulatory and engineering approvals were issued. For the length of the 25-year-or-more agreement, the cooperative will purchase electricity generated by the solar field at a fixed low cost. TPI owns and operates 100% of the solar array.