PEC announces construction of solar facilities

Located off of Hwy 290 on city-owned property, the 5,700-panel facilities will cover 14 acres at no cost to the city. RES Distributed, a wholly owned subsidiary of Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES), will oversee development and operation of the facilities.

“The City and PEC joined forces after a Government Leaders Appreciation Dinner in 2015,” Johnson City Mayor Dawn Capra said. “PEC had presented  plans to launch a solar program on local sites across their service territory, and I asked if they had thought to work with cities because Johnson City had 19 acres available.”

“This project will benefit our city from both an economic and environmental standpoint, and we are excited to be the future home to two state-of-the-art facilities,” Capra said.

The site was determined to be ideal for a solar array due to its position near a PEC distribution line, the site topology, and its orientation to the sun. A recent environmental study concluded that the equipment will have no adverse impact to area flora and fauna, and its design has been optimized to reduce footprint.

Groundbreaking is scheduled between May and June of this year, and construction will take approximately four to six months. Sustainable power from the facilities will reach PEC distribution lines sometime between September and October.

The Johnson City facilities are two of many planned across PEC’s service territory as part of a cooperative-wide solar power generation project announced last year. When completed, up to 15 MW of solar power will be generated, allowing the cooperative to produce power during the peak time period when market prices can be at their highest.

Information regarding future member programs or offerings as part of the project will announced at a later date.

Members interested in solar-related programs and offerings can learn more online.