By Kathleen Clark, My Journal Courier
It’s a site becoming more common throughout Illinois: solar panels. Some are on roofs, others on pedestals in open areas. These large panels are helping their owners be thrifty on their power bills as the state strives to become more dependent on renewable energy. Not only can they be found in residential areas, but also on commercial buildings and businesses.
Read more here.
Photo: The Hammond Farm, by Matt Ryerson, Lincoln Journal Star
See “Solar Examples” for photos and descriptions of the following Nebraska farms and ranches that are powered by solar energy:
Beller Farm Near Lindsay, Blakeman Ranch in Custer County, Brummond Farm, Deblauw Family Farm in Hartington, Family Farm Just Outside the Village of Craig, Family Farm in Minden, Greisen Farms in Platte Center, Hammond Farm, Jenkins Ranch Near Callaway, Knopik Farm Near Belgrade, Kruger Farm South of Lake Minitare, Kush Farm in Monroe, Liebig Farms in Platte Center, Meristem Organic Farm and Nursery in Papillion, Pandorf Land & Cattle Company Ranch Northwest of Callaway, Powell Farm and Richards Farm, both near Oakland.
ALSO IN THE NEWS
- Commercial Solar May Be 78% Third-Party Owned by 2021, Greentech Media
- Northwest Indiana defunct coal plant site slated for massive data center, by Kari Lydersen, Midwest Energy News. The “21st century” development will include a tech incubator, renewable energy, and greenhouse warmed by waste heat.
- Minneapolis shoots for 100 percent renewable energy in five years, City Pages
- Solar farms set to sprout across Illinois, The State Journal-Register
- Fact Check: What really causes electricity prices to change?, Into the Wind, AWEA NewsBlog
- Massive move to the metro, by Jason Kuiper, Into the Wind, OPPD Blog
The transformer will provide added capacity to a west Omaha substation, mainly to help bring energy from wind projects to OPPD customers. - Texas regulators approve Xcel’s $1.4B wind expansion, Utility Dive
- Can mini-grids solve sustainable energy access?, GreenBiz
SOLAR GROUP BUY / SOLARIZE NEWS & RESOURCES
Solarize Metro East builds on past successes with more solar energy, The Telegraph
Resources for Organizing a Solar Group Buy or Solarize Program in Your Community
- Solar Group Buy PowerPoint
- Solar Group Buy Handout
- ConnectDER Flyer
- ConnectDER Video
- Directory of Nebraska Solar Businesses
- Solar Examples: Installation & Location Options
NEW REPORTS
- New 100 Resilient Cities Report: Safer and Stronger Cities: Strategies for Advocating for Federal Resilience Policy
- MIT report calls for state storage targets, with carve-outs, American Public Power Association
COMMUNITY SOLAR RESOURCES
- Focusing the Sun: State Considerations for Designing Community Solar Policy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Community Solar Program Design Models, Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA)
LMI SOLAR RESOURCES
- Unlocking Solar for Low- and Moderate-Income Residents: A Matrix of Financing Options by Resident, Provider, and Housing Type, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Rooftop Solar Technical Potential for Low-to-Moderate Income Households in the United States , National Renewable Energy Laboratory