A number of rural electric cooperatives in Iowa, including the Calhoun County Electric Cooperative Association (ECA), have invested in solar arrays to learn more about what works — and what doesn’t.

The Calhoun County ECA installed its 76-kilowatt solar array during the summer of 2017. This demonstration and education project, located in Rockwell City, has the ability to power approximately nine residential homes.

“We want to learn as much as we can from our solar array so we can serve our members better,” said Keaton Hildreth, CEO of the Calhoun County ECA, which serves 1,178 members in five counties.

The $215,000 solar array reflects the total cost of the project, including the solar equipment, 6-foot-tall chain-link fencing, landscaping and installation. The solar array includes 10 solar tables from Silfab Solar. Each table contains 30 photovoltaic (PV) modules, for a total of 300 modules.

Since these are fixed tables, meaning they don’t move with the sun, the solar array is oriented toward the south. The solar tables are engineered to withstand 300 mile-per-hour winds, and the modules are warrantied for 25 years.

Solar energy must be converted into electricity and fed into the power grid, so reliable, high-power inverters form the heart of any PV system. The Fronius Primo inventors that are connected to the Calhoun County ECA’s solar array convert direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC).

The solar array has been operational for six years, and the Calhoun County ECA continues to measure the system’s ability to generate electricity. The co-op also tracks how this relates to members’ peak electrical usage.

“In June 2023, for example, the solar array offset a good amount of the demand at peak usage,” Hildreth said. “At other times of the year, however, the solar array offsets only a fraction — or none — of the electrical demand during peak usage.”

The solar array generates the most electricity around noon, when the sun is highest in the sky. This summer, however, Calhoun County ECA members’ peak demand for electricity typically occurred late in the afternoon or early evening (around 7 p.m.), after people returned home from their daily activities.

“The solar array isn’t producing much electricity by that time of day, since the sun is low in the sky,” Hildreth said.

In the winter, peak electrical usage among Calhoun County ECA members often occurs around 7 to 7:30 a.m., when people are getting ready for work and school.

“The solar array’s ability to generate electricity doesn’t always match up with peak usage,” said Hildreth, who added that cloudy days, hazy days and other weather-related factors can also limit the solar array’s ability to produce electricity. “Consumers’ peak demand often occurs when the solar array isn’t generating as much electricity.”

Still, solar energy can be a useful part of what rural electric cooperatives call an “all of the above” approach to energy policy. “We encourage diverse energy sources so we can help ensure a reliable, affordable source of electricity for our customer-members,” Hildreth said. “We want to explore all options and technologies to help meet the evolving energy needs of our local communities.”

Sounding the alarm about proposed EPA rules

In recent years, America has been trending toward a future that depends on more electricity to power homes, businesses, electric vehicles and more. Nationwide, however, the U.S. power grid is aging and is already struggling to meet current demand for electricity.

This will become much more challenging now that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed sweeping new rules to regulate new and existing power plants.

EPA’s proposal requires the widespread adoption of clean hydrogen and carbon capture and storage at the nation’s coal and natural gas plants.

Compliance deadlines endanger new and existing natural gas plants and all but ensure coal-powered, electrical generation units will opt to shut down by 2035, according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

“The energy future outlined by EPA will result in more blackouts, higher electricity costs and greater uncertainty for Americans,” Hildreth said.

On May 23, the EPA published proposed rules to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new and existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units under the Clean Air Act.

Starting in 2030, the proposal would generally require significant CO2 emissions controls at fossil fuel-fired power plants that plan to operate past 2031. If implemented, the proposal would require unworkable emissions standards at coal and natural-gas-fired power plants, according to NRECA.

The EPA proposal hinges on the widespread adoption of fledgling technologies that are just in their infancy, including clean hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS). While both technologies are promising, they are not yet widespread or commercially available, noted the NRECA, which added that these technologies have not been adequately demonstrated, as required by the Clean Air Act.

EPA’s proposal will magnify today’s reliability challenges with serious consequences for an already stressed electric grid, Hildreth said. These concerns aren’t just theoretical. Nine states experienced rolling blackouts in December 2022 as the demand for electricity exceeded available supply.

“This is the wrong plan at a critical time for our nation’s energy future,” Hildreth said. “When you find yourself in a hole, the first step is to stop digging. EPA needs to put down their shovel.”

Providing safe, reliable electricity

The Calhoun County ECA will continue to take all the steps it can to ensure the reliability and affordability of electricity, Hildreth said. “Our nation and our region increasingly rely on electricity to power the economy. That’s why we’re taking innovative, diverse approaches to keeping the lights on today and into the future.”

The Calhoun County ECA also serves as a trusted resource when people seek advice regarding energy solutions.

“If you’re thinking about installing a solar energy system on your property, there are some key issues to consider,” Hildreth said. “Contact your utility before you buy equipment or do anything else.”