Solar + storage microgrid will support rice processing facility in Arkansas
Farmer co-op Producers Rice Mill will soon host a solar + storage microgrid developed by Scenic Hill Solar and constructed by CS Energy and KORE Power at its processing facility in Stuttgart. The project is the largest commercial solar project in Arkansas.
Since 1943, the Producers Rice Mill cooperative’s members — now including more than 2,000 U.S. farmers — have relied on the Producers facility in Stuttgart, Arkansas to process, store and ship their harvest around the world. The facility mills more than 40 million bushels of rice every year.
“We project the microgrid will deliver millions of dollars in savings on our electric bills over the next 30 years, and those savings will be passed on to more than 2,000 hard-working farm families. It will further our commitment to sustainability and deliver greater economic security as we continue our tradition of providing one of the world’s most important foods,” said Keith Glover, CEO of Producers Rice Mill. “In addition, our solar power plant, battery storage and microgrid will allow Producers to delivery power to the utility grid during times of grid stress, providing a huge benefit for other utility customers.”
The 20-MWAC solar array designed and installed by CS Energy will be supported by a 41.2-MWh lithium-ion energy storage facility from KORE Power. The installation will increase renewable energy used by the facility, providing 67% of the facility’s energy needs.
The project was developed and is being built under the direction of Scenic Hill Solar.
“Arkansas is the nation’s leading rice producer, growing about half of the United States’ total crop, and Producers Rice Mill is a true farmer cooperative serving more than 2,000 farm family members in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Missouri,” said Scenic Hill CEO Bill Halter. “With this project we will be giving Producers the power it needs to ensure that these farmer’s products are getting to customers around the globe with clean, renewable power generated on-site and available on demand.”
CS Energy, which delivers engineering, procurement, construction, and operational support for solar and energy storage projects nationally, is building the solar array and associated electrical infrastructure.
Jesse Lieberman, Director of Operations of CS Energy said the Producers Rice Mill project stands out because its impact will be felt across the globe. “Designing and constructing a solar plus energy storage system that ensures more reliable power helped us solve our customer’s challenges and ensures Producers can cleanly and reliably process their members’ harvest,” Lieberman said. “That’s good news for the farmers here in the United States, and it’s good news for consumers across the world.”
Gregg Noble, Vice President of Sales and Development at KORE’s Solution’s division said the KORE team will install an energy storage system and microgrid controller built at the KORE Solutions facility in Waterbury, Vermont, using KORE’s Mark 1 lithium-ion batteries and U.S. manufactured EPC inverters.
“With the recently passed federal legislation supporting microgrid development, we’re excited to work with Scenic Hill and CS Power to deliver this project,” Noble said. “This is a fantastic example of a microgrid system helping an industrial producer overcome electricity challenges.”
Noble said the KORE Solutions team will monitor the system’s operation from its network operations center in Vermont and will dispatch crews annually to support the microgrid and assist Producer’s in optimizing the controller’s operation over time to best support the facility’s needs.
News item from KORE Power