McKinstry to install four solar arrays in western Arkansas

National construction firm McKinstry will build four new solar systems for municipalities in western Arkansas. The solar arrays should generate more than 6 million kWh of energy each year, saving close to $350,000 in utility costs for Sebastian County, Miller County, and the City of Nashville, Arkansas.
“McKinstry is committed to helping our partners across Arkansas identify opportunities to save taxpayer dollars by cutting utility costs while simultaneously making their facilities more sustainable,” said Skip Woessner, McKinstry’s Business Unit Manager for Arkansas Energy and Technical Services. “Together we are engineering solutions that allow communities and organizations to upgrade critical equipment and improve energy efficiency with zero cost burden for taxpayers.”
McKinstry will install two projects in Sebastian County at 1.18 MW. Miller County will receive a 600-kW system along with facility improvements. Nashville will have a 1-MW ground-mount solar array.
These projects are made possible in part through the Arkansas Energy Office’s (AEO) Arkansas Energy Performance Contracting (AEPC) program or The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS). Energy performance contracting is a tool for paying for efficiency upgrades such as lighting, chillers, boilers, water systems, and renewable generation over time through annual energy savings. McKinstry is a pre-qualified energy service company under the AEPC program and TIPS, serving multiple Arkansas clients with a focus on energy-efficiency projects, renewable energy development and consulting.
Installation of the solar PV arrays and facility improvement measures are scheduled to be complete in 2021.