Page 11 - Explore Lonoke County 2020

EXPLORE LONOKE COUNTY • ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE THREE RIVERS EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2020 11SS
— enough to power nearly 1,000 homes — and include about 12,000 solar modules. e plant will occupy about half the site, allowing sufficient space to double energy production in the future, Bohannon added.
Over 30 years, Halter said, the plant will facilitate a reduction of carbon dioxide and other emissions equal to removing more than 400 million passenger-car miles from the highway.
Along with providing environmental bene- fits, the plant will be a boon to Cabot’s econo- my, he added. In addition to annual property tax payments that will benefit the local econ- omy, the plant’s construction will generate some job opportunities for locals. While only one or two people will work at the plant when it is complete, Halter said, more than 100 peo- ple worked on the construction of a similar plant in Clarksville.
Kincade said an emphasis on renewable energy and other progressive technologies will increase local business opportunities and help expand the city’s infrastructure.
“Community members see that chang- es are being made in Cabot and are excited to see the city become more progressive,” he said. “Solar power is needed to help the in- frastructure of our city and is one of the base footprints of a 21st-century city.”
HaltersaidArkansas’interestinsolarpower
has been climbing as the cost of constructing solar plants decreases and more organizations begin adopting solar power.
“If you can have a reduction in your costs, as well as provide cost certainty for the future, as well as provide environmental benefits, as well as provide local economic benefits, you just see a lot of folks gravitating toward that,” he said.
Bohannon said the solar plant will not only allow Central Arkansas Water to reduce its costs and pass those savings onto its rate- payers, but will also help fulfill the focus on environmental sustainability laid out in the organization’s strategic plan.
“Solar power is one of those methods of maintaining our current lifestyle without degradation of the environment, the air quality,” he said. “ e biggest benefit to our customers is, of course, lower expense, but in the long run, the larger benefits are just the protection of the environment from additional coal-powered electricity-generating plants.”
He added that the plant’s location along the highway in Cabot might encourage other organizations to adopt solar power.
“I think it presents an opportunity for people who are inquisitive about solar and how it works,” he said. “It might spark their interest to promote development of the industryfurther.”
CODY GRAVES/THREE RIVERS EDITION
The Cabot site was chosen for the plant because the location met all the necessary criteria, including a sufficient localenergyload.
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