Solar Power Plant to Benefit Water Customers

Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority and Scenic Hill Solar hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a Solar Power Plant.

The two companies announced their partnership back in April 2020, with the goal of building a solar power plant to provide solar electricity to the Water Utility.

Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority saves money by partnering with Scenic Hill Solar.

According to Andy Anderson Chairman of the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority the company is saving seven thousand dollars a month by buying electricity from Scenic Hill Solar.

Anderson said For now they plan to put that money into much-needed improvements, but further down the line they hope to lower customer rates.

Bill Halter CEO of Scenic Solar said this is a 1.1-megawatt solar power system that sits on approximately 7 acres of land. There are 2,500 solar modules, and in a year this power plant will produce enough electricity to fully power 200 homes.

Scenic Hill Solar said the solar power plant will produce over 1,600,000 kilowatt hours of electricity in the first year alone, and over 46,000,000 kilowatt hours over the next thirty years. 

The plant will also reduce carbon emissions by over 32,000 metric tons over thirty years. That is the equivalent of driving 81 million fewer miles in a passenger car, eliminating the burning of 36 million pounds of coal, or providing 6,000 homes electricity for 1 year.

(Story by Emilee Kuschel, Ozarks First)