Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation
Woodruff Electric Cooperative purchases all electric power from Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC). AECC was created on July 11, 1949, to provide Arkansas’ electric cooperatives with a reliable and affordable power supply.
Based in Little Rock, AECC:
- Is owned by Arkansas’ 17 electric distribution cooperatives
- Is one of the top generation and transmission cooperatives in the nation
- Has assets of about $1.8 billion
- Has annual energy sales of about $727 million
Genration Capacity
AECC owns or has purchase power agreements for a total of 4,280 megawatts of generation capacity.
AECC’s generation plants include:
- 3 natural gas/oil-based plants
- 3 hydroelectric generating stations on the Arkansas River
- 4 natural gas-based plants
AECC also owns portions of 4 coal-based power plants in Arkansas.
Additional Energy Resources
In addition to its owned generation assets, AECC has purchase power agreements for additional energy resources including:
- Hydroelectric energy from the Southwestern Power Administration
- Biomass energy
- Wind energy
- Solar energy
Altogether, the total amount of these resources represents more than 18% of the cooperative’s generation and energy portfolio.
Collectively, Arkansas’ electric cooperatives provide a diverse and reliable generation mix to more than 500,000 homes, farms, and businesses in Arkansas and surrounding states.
Woodruff Electric Cooperative Corporation Solar Array
Woodruff Electric Cooperative Corporation (WECC) partnered with Today’s Power, Inc. (TPI) to complete a 1-megawatt (MW) solar array in April of 2019.
The project:
- Features one of the most advanced single-axis tracking systems in the country
- Contains 3,876 panels covering approximately 8 acres of land
- Is located near Woodruff Electric’s headquarters in Forrest City
- Has a system that consists of 1.4 MW of direct current installed and 1.0 MW of alternating current inverted
All the energy produced by the 1-Megawatt solar facility will be consumed locally.
This was the 20th project that TPI has developed in the state of Arkansas. WECC chose to partner with TPI because of the reliability that has been demonstrated over the last several years to meet the energy needs of other electric cooperatives in Arkansas.
Pollinator & Wildlife Habitat
In addition, the partnership between Woodruff Electric and Today’s Power will not only provide renewable energy to the members of Woodruff Electric, but Quail Forever will provide a habitat important to pollinators and wildlife within the region.
The Quail Forever Chapter will be:
- Planting wildflower and native warm season grass seed
- Coordinating procurement of planting equipment
- Providing volunteer planting labor
- Involving the local 4-H group of students during the establishment and monitoring process as part of the QF youth pollinator habitat program
- Providing a management plan for the utility’s maintenance and operations program
About TPI
Today’s Power, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AECI), a Little Rock-based utility service cooperative owned by 17 Arkansas electric distribution cooperatives.
Today’s Power, Inc. offers:
- Turn-key solar photovoltaic systems
- Energy storage systems
- Electric vehicles
- Charging stations for all sizes and applications