DSO Electric Cooperative Harvests Solar Energy with Two Projects.

DSO Electric Cooperative dedicated two solar farms with a “Flip the Switch” event today. One of the farms is located north of Lindsborg and the other is within the city of Junction City. Both farms were built to minimize the cooperative’s peak demand and maintain stable rates for its members.

Originally announced in November of 2020, DSO’s two solar farms were formally linked to the grid by Today’s Power Inc. (TPI) of North Little Rock, Arkansas. These farms are among the first of the 22 systems to be built as part of the Kansas Cooperative Sun Power Program (KCSPP), a TPI solar power services agreement program that ensures low-cost renewable energy to 12 participating Kansas electric cooperatives.

Both of DSO’s solar farms were customized in the design process to maximize output during peak demand hours, when power is most expensive. Lowering the peak demand charges helps DSO keep power affordable for its members. Along with the other participating Kansas electric cooperatives, DSO negotiated very competitive long-term pricing. In addition, these solar farms will add to DSO’s diverse fuel mix. With these projects generating power, approximately 67% of DSO’s power will come from wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear sources.

Michael Henderson, president of TPI said, “we are very excited to partner with DSO Electric Cooperative on this project. I have spent my career serving electric cooperative members and having able to provide direct, quantifiable savings through projects like KCSPP is very gratifying.” He went on to say, “the leadership of DSO should be commended for their forward-thinking efforts in serving their members.”

Tim Power, CEO of DSO, noted that, “A lot of work went into these solar projects. Mike Olberding, our operations manager, did a great job managing the projects and making sure things stayed on schedule. I also want to give a shout-out to the owners of the land we purchased for the solar farms, the city and county officials, and people with Today’s Power; they were all easy to work with and instrumental in helping us get to this day.”

TPI was chosen by the Kansas Cooperative Sun Power Program in 2020 to provide solar-produced power for cooperative use. Work on the two sun farms began in early 2021 and was completed in May 2021, 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 farms at a fixed-low cost. TPI operates and owns 100% of the solar arrays.

DSO ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE SUN FARM STATISTICS:

Location: JUNCTION CITY, KANSAS

· Size: 1.42-Megawatt (MW) DC / 1 MW AC

· Modules: 3,450 Solar Modules

· Racking: Single-Axis Sun Tracking Technology

· Inversion: 8 125 kW String Inverters

Location: LINDSBORG, KANSAS

· Size: 1.42-Megawatt (MW) DC / 1 MW AC

· Modules: 3,500 Solar Modules

· Racking: Single-Axis Sun Tracking Technology

· Inversion: 8 125 kW String Inverters

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More Information:

This opportunity to participate in the Kansas Cooperative Sun Power Program began when the wholesale power contract between all participating cooperatives and their forward-thinking generation and transmission cooperative, Kansas Electric Power Cooperatives, was recently modified to provide Kansas electric cooperatives with the ability to self-procure up to 15% of peak demand – with 5% of that amount specifically allowing for the addition of solar (or some other renewable).

Using the sixth cooperative principle of cooperation among cooperatives, twelve cooperatives in Kansas joined together to secure low-cost power and reduce their peak demands for the next 25 years or more.

About

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 applications.

TPI’s unique approach to in-depth analysis of utility rates and billing allows it to design renewable energy systems and manage that energy to maximize the benefits of solar and storage for not-for-profit as well as for-profit entities.

DSO Electric Cooperative is an electric utility located in Solomon, Kansas. DSO serves approximately 8,500 residential and commercial meters throughout a nine-county area in central Kansas. Its service area extends from Junction City to McPherson and from Glasco to Lost Springs. This area includes the City of Solomon and certain areas within the city limits of Junction City and Salina.

For more information:

Derrick Rutherford – Communications Manager – DSO Electric 785-655-2011 or drutherford@dsoelectric.com