Little Rock – Four AAEA member projects were recognized today by Governor Asa Hutchinson and ADEQ Director Becky Keogh during the ADEQ 2018 Environmental Awards ceremony at the State Capitol, with two AAEA member initiatives taking home awards.
AAEA member The City of Fayetteville was named the winner of the TECHe Award, which recognizes the advances or innovative use of technology that breaks new ground in protecting resources or improving the environment by going beyond traditional environmental control measures, approaches, or outcomes.
Looking for a replacement for the aged ultraviolet disinfection system at the Paul R. Noland Water Resource Recovery Facility, the City conducted a large-scale pilot of the HyDOZ system (a proprietary technology for ozonating water and wastewater developed by local company BlueInGreen). The pilot study was a success and in June 2017 the City celebrated the successful installation and operation of a full-scale HyDOZ Disinfection System. The HyDOZ Disinfection System is the first of its kind to be installed in a wastewater treatment facility.
AAEA member Today’s Power developed a 120-kilowatt solar farm for the E2 award winner announced today, Arkansas Rural Internet Service. The E2 Award recognizes organizations that demonstrate outstanding leadership by implementing forward-thinking initiatives in areas of energy efficiency and resilience.
ARIS is the first partnership in the U.S. between an electric company, Ouachita Electric Cooperative (OECC), and a local telephone and internet provider, South Arkansas Telephone Company (SATCO). Together, the utilities are bringing high-speed internet to a rural, five-county area of South Arkansas that has been largely unserved. Through the collaboration, SATCO built a three-acre, 120 kilowatt solar farm, developed by Today’s Power. OECC is providing its existing electric poles to run the fiber optic cable. Due to the low cost of the solar power and the avoidance of the need to trench and bury the fiber optic cable, costs to the customers are kept to a minimum.
Two other AAEA members, Johnson Controls and Brown Engineers, performed key work for E2 award finalists Arkansas State University-Newport and Clarksville Light and Water Company, respectively.
Read ADEQ’s press release announcing the award winners here, and read about all finalists here.