Monthly Archives: July 2014

LES offers SunShares as way to buy into community solar energy project

by Algis J. Laukaitis, Lincoln Journal Star

Lincoln Electric System customers who want to support renewable energy growth will have an opportunity to invest in a community-funded solar energy project.

The LES Administrative Board on Friday unveiled a new customer participation program that allows customers to buy so-called SunShares for $3 a month through their bills.

The city-owned utility plans to launch a marketing program soon to encourage customers to sign up for the voluntary program set to begin Aug. 2.

To continue reading, click here:
http://journalstar.com/news/local/les-offers-sunshares-as-way-to-buy-into-community-solar/article_0a2202ba-46f6-5161-a6f8-986685cf1c80.html

City’s coal-fired power plant entering its twilight

by Tracy Overstreet, The Grand Island Independent

Grand Island’s coal-fired power plant, the Platte Generating Station, has been a rock star.

“Grand Island has never run a plant as long and as hard as we have Platte,” Utilities Director Tim Luchsinger said.

The 100-megawatt plant went on line in 1982 and has provided low-cost, baseload-level electricity ever since.

But a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Monday upholding the Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement of greener energy policies has raised questions about the future of coal-fired plants such as Platte.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if we don’t see a lot of operation of Platte by 2030,” Luchsinger said. “It may be retired by then.”

That projected retirement may come as a surprise to some, particularly as the plant undergoes a $42 million pollution-control upgrade that will be complete in November. But it’s not so surprising to those in the energy industry.

To continue reading, click here:
http://www.theindependent.com/news/local/city-s-coal-fired-power-plant-entering-its-twilight/article_00459ea2-ff49-11e3-be5e-0019bb2963f4.html

LES gets 78 proposals for community solar energy project

by Algis J. Laukaitis, Lincoln Journal Star

When Lincoln Electric System asked developers to submit proposals for a community solar project, administrators of the city-owned utility didn’t know if they’d get any responses.

They got 78 proposals from 14 developers who want to build projects ranging in size from 100 to 2,000 kilowatts, in and around Lincoln.

The goal of the community solar project is to give LES customers who don’t have suitable roofs for solar panels — or who have roofs pointing in a wrong direction or no individual roofs at all — a way to support a renewable energy project, possibly by purchasing shares.

Scott Benson, manager of resources and transmission planning, said those details will be worked out soon. LES staff will evaluate the proposals and give a recommendation to the LES administrative board July 18.

To continue reading, click here: www.journalstar.com/news/local/les-gets-proposals-for-community-solar-energy-project/article_893579d0-1e05-55cf-aa01-568c890745df.html