Ouachita Electric’s solar use ranked 4th

Ouachita Electric Cooperative Corp. ranks fourth among utilities nationally with the highest annual watts-per-customer use of solar energy, according to the Smart Electric Power Alliance.

Ouachita Electric, based in Camden, had 1,282 megawatts of solar energy per customer connected to the electric grid last year. The cooperative said it provides electric service to about 9,400 meters in Ouachita, Calhoun, Dallas, Bradley, and Nevada counties in south Arkansas.

Leading the list was the City of Palo Alto Utilities in Palo Alto, Calif., with 2,753 megawatts per customer of solar energy added to the grid. More than 410 utilities nationwide were included in the survey.

Ouachita Electric announced in 2015 the construction of a 12-megawatt solar field on a 100-acre site in the Highland Industrial Park in East Camden. The solar field began operations in early 2016.