The Searcy project requires an approval from the Arkansas Public Service Commission and will feature a battery for storing solar power.
Entergy said that the Searcy project will be the company’s third large-scale solar project in Arkansas and allows it to offer a total of 281MWs of solar energy for its customers, which is adequate to power approximately 45,000 homes.
Expected to commence operations by 2021, the Searcy project will be designed and built by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources and will be purchased by Entergy Arkansas after the completion.
The emissions-free, renewable energy facility Searcy project is planned to be commissioned on a site of approximately 800acres area located east of Eastline Road in Searcy.
Entergy Arkansas president and CEO of Laura Landreaux said: “As the largest solar provider and a leader in renewable energy in Arkansas, Entergy is proud to bring a third large-scale solar project to the state that will allow our customers to benefit from the economic and environmental advantages of renewable energy, while at the same time learning about the benefits of battery storage.”
Entergy Arkansas said that the Searcy solar project will be its next step in continuing expansion into solar energy field. The company is also seeking additional resources through a request for proposals for renewable energy projects.
The Searcy project includes building of a new solar plant in addition to the battery generation powered by an array of lithium-ion batteries with a storage capacity of 30MWh of electricity. The stored energy in the battery system is expected to be charged and discharged daily to maximize the value of the solar energy.
Landreaux added: “Our customers want to see solar in our resource portfolio, and we are listening and responding. We want all of our customers to have the benefit of solar energy, and we also want to help individual customers meet their renewable energy goals.
“In addition to adding solar to our generation mix, we’ve also received approval of a Solar Energy tariff from the Arkansas Public Service Commission, which will give our customers the option of purchasing solar power to help meet their renewable energy objectives. It’s really an exciting time as we look to meeting the future energy needs of our customers.”
