Officials from the City of Tipton, Indiana, and Tipton Municipal Utilities joined with representatives from the Indiana Municipal Power Agency to cut the ribbon on the Tipton 2 Solar Park on June 26.
With the second solar park’s commissioning, Tipton joins a growing list of IMPA member communities to have multiple solar parks in the local utility’s service territory.
“We are thrilled to add another solar park here in Tipton,” commented Jim Ankrum, General Manager of Tipton Municipal Utilities. “These solar parks enhance the diversity of our generation resources while providing an educational opportunity for our students, residents, and visitors. It’s another wonderful community asset to have.”
“The City of Tipton is proud to continue its long-standing partnership with IMPA through the development of the Tipton 2 Solar Park,” said Mayor Kegan Schmicker. “As a founding member of IMPA, Tipton has always recognized the value of collaboration to ensure reliable, forward-looking energy solutions. This project reflects our shared commitment to innovation and sustainability, and we look forward to continued success together.”
The Tipton 2 Solar Park is rated at 2.7 MW-AC. When combined with the capacity of Tipton’s first solar park, the city now has the capability to power approximately 1,200 homes.
The parks both utilize a single axis tracking system that allows their solar panels to move throughout the day, following the path of the sun.
IMPA has constructed 53 solar parks throughout the state, adding over 200 MW of solar generation to its power supply portfolio. Other nearby IMPA communities in which solar parks have been built include Anderson and Frankton.
“IMPA’s ongoing commitment to providing a low-cost, reliable, and environmentally-responsible power supply to our 61 member communities is our mission and priority,” said Jack Alvey, President and CEO of IMPA. “The output from our solar parks in our members’ communities enables us to expand our diverse power supply portfolio to include solar energy while economically meeting the growing power needs of our member communities.”
IMPA is the not-for-profit wholesale power provider to 61 cities and towns in Indiana and Ohio who own and operate the municipal electric distribution systems in their communities. IMPA member communities deliver electric service to approximately 330,000 individuals throughout the state.
