First-of-its-kind solar installation in Arkansas will power hospitals

Scientists and labs are constantly advancing medicine. The noble cause of helping others heal and feel better has advanced significantly over the past hundred years. But one health care company with several locations in Arkansas is helping in a different way and will help the hospital network become more sustainable and self-sufficient.

Unity Health is working with Bernhard to upgrade existing equipment and install a range of Ground Mounted Solar Panels which will provide electricity to rural hospitals and lead to greater sustainability.

Bernhard’s “Energy as a Service” program will also enable them to sell surplus electricity to the grid for profit.

“Our engineers saw that a lot of our equipment was a little outdated,” said Stuart Hill, vice president and treasurer at Unity Health. “They came up with this project, energy as a service, as a way to upgrade equipment that needed upgrading. The economics of it just made sense to us.”

The partnership comes after a decade of working with Bernhard on other projects. Hill said the team has built a lot of trust through the expansion of the Searcy operation.

The project will affect four hospitals in Unity Health System: Newport, Jacksonville and two locations in Searcy. The Newport site will receive only the LED upgrade because it already uses different power components than the other three hospitals.

The first step is to make the hospitals as efficient as possible before they worry about power production. Another goal is to provide full backup generation at one of the Searcy facilities.

According to Sam, the best part of the project is Selig, senior vice president of renewable energy at Bernhard, believes the solar panels will help offset some of the costs. The panels are expected to last 10 to 20 years, providing energy savings over time.

“Bernhard is upgrading on-site backup generators and critical systems to increase resiliency and improve energy efficiency,” Selig said. “The off-site solar project completes the triad, significantly reducing operating costs.”

About 10,000 panels will be located on an off-site property purchased by the Morrilton hospital system. The site was chosen because it is on Entergy Arkansas property and because of Inflation Reduction Act there are additional bonuses for building in an “energy community” as defined by law. Much of the land is also in a floodplain and cannot be zoned for other purposes.

The majority of annual production will occur in spring and summer, with the least production in December and January. During those months, the company expects a capacity factor of more than 28%, slightly above traditional solar installations, according to Selig.

The total cost of the project, which will take two and a half years to complete, is about $52 million. The group aims to achieve energy savings of $63 million over 20 years.

“We’re excited about the long term,” Hill said. “It’s a challenge at the beginning. But the long term is what we’re looking at.”

According to Selig, who has been with the company since January 2022, Earth Mount boards started gaining popularity around 2019. He started working in the industry in 2019 when “all the rules in Arkansas changed.”

The Morrilton area north of I-40 will first be cleared and then raked so that the entire area is covered with dirt. The panels will then be installed, and the grass will be re-seeded to completely enclose the panels in the ground. Selig said the installation is done “like a carpet, almost like a floor.”

“During the planning process, we put a lot of effort into making the site as inconspicuous as possible for neighboring property owners,” Selig said.

He said the Earth Mount array will be one-third the size of a traditional array. Although it is the first such array installed in the state, Selig believes the trend will continue because it “makes too much sense.” He said Arkansas ranks in the top 15 for solar radiation on Earth’s surface, or the amount of solar energy that can be captured per acre of land.

“Earth Mount Solar is the most efficient method of installation both in terms of land use and cost,” Selig said. “Bernhard’s business is all about efficiency and environmental protection. If we can install Earth Mount Solar using 60 percent less land than traditional solar panels, it becomes a really obvious decision. As an added bonus, the installation is also much more aesthetically pleasing.”

Bernhard will maintain the array. Through an O&M agreement, Bernhard guarantees savings for decades to come by ensuring it produces what it says it will. The company will use robots to clean the solar panels when they get dirty.

“The design has a 40-year lifespan, and the solar panels are warranted for 30 years,” Selig said. “The inverters—the devices that convert direct current to alternating current—will need to be replaced in about 15 years. We’re budgeting five cents per watt for that replacement.”

Bernhard is currently conducting due diligence on more than 250 hospitals and health systems nationwide. It recently struck a deal with Adventist Health to address aging infrastructure at 25 locations in California, Oregon and Hawaii.

The company wants to bring sustainable development and energy independence for healthcare companies across the country, just like Unity Health is investing in. Guaranteed savings over the 20-year life of the project help fund needed renovations today.

“Solar energy seemed like the right solution,” Hill said. “And to reduce the carbon footprint.”

Editor’s Note: All images are renderings of solar panels.
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