VA hospital in Little Rock activates its solar panels

Far over budget and 4 years late, switch turned on

Solar panels were activated Sunday at John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock.
Solar panels were activated Sunday at John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock.

The Veterans Affairs hospital in Little Rock has activated its solar panels, ending a five-year saga of mismanagement and overspending on the project.

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Officials expect the newly activated solar panels at the veterans hospital in Little Rock to produce 10 percent to 12 percent of the facility’s electricity.

The U.S. Department of Veterans affairs missed its project deadline by four years and exceeded its budget by $1.5 million, prompting a nationwide review of similar projects at VA facilities nationwide.

Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System leaders expect the solar panels, which were activated Sunday, to provide 2.6 million kilowatt hours -- enough to power 167 homes for one year -- up to 12 percent of John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital's annual energy needs, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

In August, VA officials in central Arkansas projected that the panels would be switched on in January, but struggles connecting to electric utility Entergy's grid pushed the completion date back further.

In a statement, Dr. Margie Scott, medical center director at the hospital, acknowledged the project's delays, but she said it was an exciting day for the hospital.

"This is a major step forward in energy conservation," Scott said. "Now that it is powered on, the system will reduce the carbon footprint, help protect the environment and produce 10-12 percent of electrical power for the hospital."

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U.S. Rep. French Hill has regularly criticized the VA for its handling of the solar projects, among other issues. The Little Rock Republican still has unanswered questions about the solar panels, he said Tuesday in an email through a spokesman.

"The four-year delay and subsequent cost increases on a project that will potentially yield no real benefit for the facility or taxpayers is evidence of a larger problem and the need for construction management reform at VA," Hill said.

The Little Rock hospital was one of 15 facilities awarded solar projects between 2010 and 2013. It initiated the $8.5 million project in 2012, and about 7,300 panels were installed in February 2013. The solar panels sat dormant until 2015 when they were disassembled to make way for a parking garage, costing the department $906,000 in tear-down and reassembly costs.

The VA Office of Inspector General -- a department watchdog that investigated the agency's solar program -- blamed the delays on poor planing, design modifications, contractor delays and a lengthy interconnection agreement process between the VA and Entergy.

The inspector general's office began its nationwide probe of the program at the request of Hill and U.S. Sen. John Boozman, a Republican from Rogers.

Across the U.S., inspectors found solar projects were seldom completed on schedule and that the department had spent more than $400 million the program since 2010.

Boozman on Tuesday said he hoped the completed project would free more resources for veterans.

"This is long-awaited good news for a project that has clearly suffered from systemic mismanagement," he said in an emailed statement. "VA can and must do a better job in order to ensure it manages its funds in a manner that best serves our veterans. I am hopeful that these solar panels will meet the needs of this facility and allow VA to do more with its resources to help our veterans."

While snags have hampered the Little Rock hospital's solar project, a similar project at the Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center in North Little Rock has generated 5.6 million kilowatt hours since going online in October 2013, central Arkansas VA spokesman Chris Durney said.

With solar panels functional, the Little Rock hospital should reduce its greenhouse gas production by 1,560 metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly, or about the same amount 331 passenger cars emit annually, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Metro on 04/26/2017

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