Solar Park Construction Begins

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Construction has begun to build Southern Illinois' first-ever industrial solar park on a two-acre land tract in the city's 90-acre Industrial Park.

With the announced closure of Heartland Baking, the project could have only one beneficiary at the outset--nearby MPP, Inc.

Monday's announced closure of Heartland Baking takes the edge off an otherwise cutting edge project to generate electricity from the sun, sell the power, and rebate monies to industrial tenants in the park.

All told, the project is valued at upwards of $500,000 and could be n incentive to bring or keep industry in the City of Du Quoin.

Jason Hark of a Swansea, Ill.-based engineering company called Mid-America Power Solutions LLC said the ground-mount solar farm will contain between 340 solar panels approximately 39-by-60 inches capable of generating 198,044kWh of electricity annually, enough to power a super Wal-Mart.

The mounting system is made by a company called Panel Claw and installation is relatively simple. The mounts are adjustable so that all of the panels will be level and angled for the most benefit. The solar park will be fenced.