KENNETT, Mo. (KAIT) – The city of Kennett is building a solar energy farm to provide more energy.
“So traditionally, we have been in the lower 10 percent of utility rates in the entire state of Missouri, and this is just another opportunity for us to provide cheap energy,” said the Chief Executive Officer for the Kennett Board of Public Works Jamie Chitester.
The groundbreaking for this solar farm took place back in October 2024, and when this project finishes, almost 1,000 houses will be able to be powered by it.
“Between this and our hydropower from Southwest Power Administration, we will have about 18 percent of our total energy portfolio that will be green energy, and it’s roughly 900 to 950 houses that it will be able to power,” said Chitester.
It’s not just the fact that it will be able to power houses, as it will also be very affordable.
“The power that is going to be coming out of the solar plant is going to be sub 10 dollars,” said Chitester. “So, it’s going to be single-digit dollars, and that’s a price that is going to be locked in for 30 years.”
Of course, there will be days when it is cloudy, and the solar plant will not be able to gather energy.
So, one thing the Kennett Board of Public Works is looking into to help solve that problem would be batteries to store the energy.
“And we are looking at battery storage as well so that we can harness some of that sub-10-dollar power and release it on a cold, cloudy day when power is at 100 dollars,” said Chitester.
The plant is expected to begin testing around August 2025. It will be fully operational in November.
To report a typo or correction, please click here.
Copyright 2024 KAIT. All rights reserved.