AVECC's New Lonnie Turner Solar Field Opens in Ozark

On May 16, Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative Corporation’s (AVECC) CEO Al Simpson announced the dedication of the Lonnie Turner Solar Field. 

Turner served as the cooperative’s attorney for 45 years and retired in 2019. 

“Lonnie served during the largest, quickest-growing period of Arkansas Valley Electric’s history,” shared AVECC Chief Operations Officer Ben Schaffer. 

Turner represented the cooperative in numerous ways, including working with the board of directors and maintaining an ongoing relationship with the Arkansas Public Service Commission. 

Schaffer added, “One of the most impactful decisions Lonnie helped the cooperative make was implementing AVECC’s subsidiary, Wave Rural Connect.” 

The dedication took place at the solar field, located on cooperative property, off Airport Road in Ozark, with Turner, his family, AVECC board of directors and AVECC staff present to witness the unveiling. 

The 8-acre Lonnie Turner Solar Field replaced AVECC’s Van Buren Solar Field, which covered a much smaller area. 

“We were looking for an opportunity to provide a bigger solar footprint,” explained AVECC Engineering Manager Chris Howe. 

Howe continued, “The Lonnie Turner Solar Field is a one-megawatt (MW) system, which means we have reduced our demand on the transmission grid by one megawatt. That offset will help members save money because it ultimately reduces the rate that we would be charged by our electric supplier, Arkansas Electric.”

The Lonnie Turner Solar Field has commercial-grade panels that will last approximately 25 years. The panels also have a tracking system, which means that as the sun moves, the solar panels move to get the most consumption over generation.