Monthly Archives: October 2018

In bid to help bees, Xcel to require vegetation disclosure in solar RFPs

By Catherine Morehouse, Utility Dive

[Xcel Energy Minnesota] plans to add 2,600 MW to 3,000 MW of solar generation by 2030 and all those projects will be required to disclose a completed copy scorecard for pollinator-friendly sites. Pollinator-friendly vegetation isn’t required in order for a project to be considered by the utility, but it will establish a precedent “of priorities and values,” Rob Davis, director of the center for pollinators in energy at Fresh Energy, told Utility Dive.

Pollinator friendly solar sites are a growing trend among utilities seeking to more holistically reduce their ecological footprint. Sites are designated as “pollinator friendly” based on state legislation, which was first passed in Minnesota in 2016 and has since spread to five other states. Read more here.

Photo by Rob Davis, Fresh Energy

IN NEBRASKA

Kearney’s Solar Farm, comprising 22,464 panels on 53 acres at Tech oNE Crossing, is currently Nebraska’s largest. The 5.7-megawatt solar array’s generating capacity is enough to power about 900 houses or supply 5 percent of Kearney’s energy load.

An additional distinguishing feature of Kearney’s Solar Farm is that it is a nationally-recognized pollinator-friendly site, benefiting local food producers. Related stories:

Entire 53-acre site in northeast Kearney seeded with plants for pollinators, Kearney Hub
Celebrating solar power while protecting pollinators and birds, Nebraska TV
Nebraska’s Largest Solar Array is Surrounded by Bird-Friendly Plants, Audubon

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING

Photo by Engie Distributed Solar

Pollinator habitats: The bees’ knees of rural solar development, Utility Dive
More states use solar plants to protect bumble bee populations, PV Magazine
Solar Power and Honey Bees Make a Sweet Combo in Minnesota, Modern Farmer
Beekeepers Sweeten Solar Sites With the ‘Tesla of Honey’, National Geographic
The business case for pollinator-friendly solar sites, GreenBiz
Pollinator-friendly Solar: Everybody Loves It, Fresh Energy
Solar arrays abuzz thanks to new pollinator-friendly vegetation initiative, Solar Power World
Green Landscapes on Solar Sites-an Enormous Business Opportunity, Ecological Landscape Alliance
Utility & Community Solar Should Use Native Landscaping, CleanTechnica

MORE RESOURCES

Introducing the Center for Pollinators in Energy, Plus Fresh Energy Resources
National Renewable Energy Lab Webinar: Co-locating Agriculture and Solar
TED Talk: Why Bees Are Disappearing
Pollinator–friendly Solar with Monarch Joint Venture
S olar Sanctuaries: Bee- and Bird-friendly Clean Energy, PowerPoint, Linda McGinnis, Energy Action Network and UVM GUND Institute for Ecological Economics

LEGISLATION

Minnesota’s Legislative Bill HF 3353: Voluntary solar site management practices established
Audubon Case Study: Minnesota Solar Sanctuaries Bill. This case study describes Audubon Minnesota’s role in creating and passing a bill to set voluntary standards for solar energy sites that are friendly to birds and other pollinators.
Pollinator Health: State Laws, National Conference of State Legislatures

WIND ENERGY & CROPS

Iowa State University Research Finds Wind Farms Positively Impact Crops
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Midlands Voices: Tariffs could slow surging Nebraska wind industry

By David Levy, Omaha World-Herald

The writer is a partner and chair of the energy practice group at Baird Holm law firm in Omaha, representing wind and solar energy developers, Nebraska municipal utilities and rural public power districts. This commentary reflects his personal views and not the views of Baird Holm.

Wind is creating new opportunities in communities across Nebraska. In the 20 years since Nebraska’s first wind farm began operations, wind energy businesses have invested more than $2.6 billion in the state. Nearly 2,000 Nebraskans now work in the wind industry, where wind technicians on average make close to $55,000 annually and work and live in rural areas. Thousands more construct wind farms across the state, infusing hundreds of millions of dollars in new wages and spending into local economies . . . Nebraska has a lot to gain if the wind industry continues its growth. And it has just as much to lose if these tariffs move forward. Concerned voters should ask their congressional representatives to urge the administration to exempt wind energy components from these harmful tariffs. Read more here.

NPPD Photo: Steele Flats Wind Farm

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING

Wind + solar make up more than 20% of generation in 10 states – more on the way, PV Magazine. The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has put in stark terms that we have 12 years to clean up our carbon emissions, or face dire consequences for our civilization and our species. That’s the bad news. The good news is that an energy transition is underway in the electricity sector.
Climate bill would move D.C. to 100% renewable energy by 2032, The Washington Post
The District would adopt one of the nation’s most aggressive plans to cut carbon emissions, aiming to use entirely renewable sources of energy for the city’s power grid just 14 years from now, under new legislation proposed by five D.C. Council members.
Why 100 percent renewable energy pledges should cover internet infrastructure, GreenBiz
More companies are committing to climate action through campaigns such as We Are Still In, RE100, the Science Based Targets Initiative and the Step Up Declaration. However, many companies making these commitments are leaving out a large and growing segment of their emissions: data.
Spatial and temporal specificity: the new high bar for 100% renewables, PV Magazine
Google, already 100% renewable powered via PPAs offsets of fossil fuels, is now aiming to make sure they’re clean energy powered 24/7 – even as the sun sets, and winds die down.
General Motors will soon use wind power to build pickups and SUVs, CBS
Related article: GM’s Arlington plant now operates on 100% renewable energy
IKEA Celebrates Grand Opening of IKEA Midwest Distribution Center in Joliet, IL, Business Wire
The Joliet distribution center is LEED Gold Certified, a first for IKEA properties in the U.S. A key environmental highlight is its 268,920-square-foot solar array built with 9,036 solar panels, currently the largest in Illinois.
AEP to shutter 1,590 MW Ohio coal plant two years ahead of schedule, Utility Dive
Wisconsin’s Solar Energy Will Increase By 33 Percent Under New Public-Private Partnership, Wisconsin Public Radio

EV NEWS

New tool helps states identify EV policies that work, and those that don’t, Utility Dive

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), which has developed, along with Cadmus, a tool for states and localities to assess their policies and develop regulations that will encourage smart growth of charging infrastructure and vehicle adoption.

GREEN POWER LEADERSHIP AWARDS

Anheuser-Busch Recognized for Excellence in Green Power Use in 2018 EPA Leadership Awards,
Renewable Energy Magazine

NEW PRODUCT FOR RESIDENTIAL HOMEBUILDERS

News Release: Solar Alliance launches “SunBox” product for residential homebuilders

“With California legislation requiring all new homes to have solar starting in 2020, and other states soon to follow, the new home segment is one of the fastest growing markets and this program provides a fantastic tool to address that demand,” said Chairman and CEO Jason Bak. “SunBox provides residential developers with all of the tools they need to provide their customers with a permit-ready solar package. Including solar in the initial home design makes long term economic sense and provides another option for developers to offer their customers. The new home market is massive, and this program allows us to target it strategically.”

That $3 Trillion-a-Year Clean Energy Transformation? It’s Already Underway.

By Phil McKenna, Inside Climate News

To keep global warming in check, the world will have to invest an average of around $3 trillion a year over the next three decades in transforming its energy supply systems, a new United Nations climate science report says. It won’t be cheap, but it’s also a change that’s already underway . . . Corporate giants including Google and Apple, for example, purchase enough renewable energy to cover 100 percent of their power needs. The research and sustainability advocacy group Ceres has been working with companies and large investors for years to help them understand both the risks to their portfolios from high-carbon sources and the opportunities of investing in cleaner infrastructure as renewable energy prices fall. Ceres argued in a report released earlier this year that achieving a “clean trillion” in additional annual investment in clean energy and infrastructure is “eminently feasible.” Read more here.

Photo Credit: Dennis Schroeder/NREL

Ceres is a sustainability nonprofit organization working with the most influential investors and companies to build leadership and drive solutions throughout the economy. Through powerful networks and advocacy, Ceres tackles the world’s biggest sustainability challenges, including climate change, water scarcity and pollution, and human rights abuses.
Initiatives include:
Climate Action 100+
Clean Trillion

ADDITIONAL INITIATIVES – JUST SOME OF THEM

The Corporate Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles and the Business Renewables Center are the core initiatives of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA).

REBA helps companies understand the benefits of transitioning to renewables, connecting large buyer demand to renewable energy supply, and helping utilities better understand and serve the needs of all energy buyers.

Click these links to learn more:

RE100 is a collaborative, global initiative uniting more than 100 influential businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity, working to massively increase demand for – and delivery
of – renewable energy. A growing number of RE100 businesses are also helping their suppliers access renewable energy for their own operations, exponentially contributing to global wind and solar energy deployment.

RE100 is sponsored by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP. Both organizations are part of the We Mean Business coalition, working with leading businesses around the world.

Sierra Club’s Ready for 100
Currently 88 cities have committed to 100% renewable energy in Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 initiative. The Sierra Club, founded in 1892, has 3.5 million members and supporters nationwide. Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 recently teamed up with Climate Parents and Seventh Generation for 100% clean energy.
Just Released: 2018 Case Studies Reports featuring 10 new cities that are ready for 100% clean energy!

The Billion Dollar Green Challenge
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge encourages colleges, universities, and other nonprofit institutions to invest a combined total of one billion dollars in self-managed “green revolving funds.” The Sustainable Endowments Institute launched The Challenge in 2011. Download a brief summary that explains The Billion Dollar Green Challenge, including partners and funders.

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
Currently celebrating their 47^thyear, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) pioneered the use of shareholder advocacy to press companies on environmental, social, and governance issues. This coalition of over 300 global institutional investors currently represents more than $400 billion in managed assets. Leveraging their equity ownership in some of the world’s largest and most powerful companies, ICCR members regularly engage management to identify and mitigate social and environmental risks resulting from corporate operations and policies.

Green Faith
Green Faith’s mission is to inspire, educate and mobilize people of diverse religious backgrounds for environmental leadership. “Our work is based on beliefs shared by the world’s great religions – we believe that protecting the earth is a religious value, and that environmental stewardship is a moral responsibility.”

As You Sow
Founded in 1992, As You Sow promotes environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal strategies. Their vision is a safe, just, and sustainable world in which protecting the environment and human rights is central to corporate decision making. “Corporations are responsible for most of the pressing social and environmental problems we face today — we believe corporations must be a willing part of the solutions.”

Green America
Green America’s mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. The organization focuses on four areas for system transformation, insisting on social justice and environmental health across all sectors. “We believe if we can get these right, the rest of the economy will follow: 1. Climate and clean energy, 2. Sustainable food and agriculture,
3. Responsible investing and 4. Fair labor.” Campaigns include: Clean Energy Victory Bonds

Proxy Preview
Proxy Preview is a collaboration between three organizations: As You Sow, Sustainable Investment Institute, and Proxy Impact to help investors align their values with their investments. Publishes Annual Guide: Proxy Preview 2018 is the 14th edition of the insider’s guide to social and environmental shareholder proposals. This free publication is the #1 resource for shareholders looking to align their values and investments. “Bible for socially progressive foundations, religious groups, pension funds, and tax-exempt organizations” – Chicago Tribune

SocialFunds.com
Social Funds.com features over 10,000 pages of information on SRI mutual funds, community investments, corporate research, shareowner actions, and daily social investment news.

The Shine Campaign is a new, global campaign blending communities of faith, philanthropy and finance to solve energy poverty.

DERs coming whether or not markets are ready: experts

By Peter Maloney, American Public Power Association

Distributed energy resources are coming, even though the regulatory and legal structures in wholesale power markets are still evolving, experts said at an American Public Power Association conference in Charleston, S.C., earlier this week. “This is not just a matter of policy; it is a matter of consumer choice,” Jeff Dennis, general counsel for regulatory affairs at Advanced Energy Economy, said on Oct. 8 at the Association’s Legal and Regulatory Conference. “DERs are coming whether or not wholesale markets provide them the market opportunity, “but we think it is important to provide that market opportunity,” Dennis said. Continue reading here.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING

New Poll Shows Solar Is the Favored Form of Electricity Nationwide, SEIA News Release
76 percent of voters and 87 percent of opinion leaders think their utility should deploy more solar power.

Kansas City utility packages clean energy with federal tax savings

Written by Karen Uhlenhuth, Midwest Energy News

Kansas City Power & Light’s plan to return federal tax savings to customers also includes measures to encourage renewable energy purchases, community solar and reduce energy usage. The package includes a green tariff, demand response aggregation and new rate designs available to about 800,000 electricity customers in the Kansas City area. Missouri utility regulators are expected to approve the plan soon. The measures also provide policy certainty for the City of Kansas City to move ahead with some of the ambitious clean energy goals it articulated just over a year ago. Continue reading here.

Photo: Caleb Zahnd

NEWS FROM OTHER STATES & PUERTO RICO

Organic Valley to share its solar power with nearby communities, La Crosse Tribune
LA FARGE — Organic Valley is moving beyond its initial goal of achieving 100 percent renewable power at its corporate facilities in La Farge and Cashton to share solar power with 13 Midwest communities and energy credits with a California-based natural soap company.
Photo by Prairie Restorations Inc: Organic Valley will build and seed pollinator-friendly solar farms, such as this one near Downsville, Wisconsin, which has a flowering meadow under and around its panels.
Free beer for going solar: Montana brewery teams up with electric coop for community panels, Independent Record
Solar array by Missoula Electric finds eager partner in KettleHouse Brewing,, Missoula Current
Clean Power Flows for Portland Brewer, reNEWS
Clif Bar begins work on region’s largest solar power system, Magic Valley
Fort Collins, Colorado to go 100% renewable by 2030, PV Magazine
The city becomes the 9th in Colorado to adopt a 100% renewable energy transition mandate.
Power play: Solar energy developers sought for properties on South, West sides, The Real Deal
A new Chicago program aims to turn brownfields into energy generators.
Solar heats up in S.C. as business installations surge, Charleston Regional Business Journal
The Magic Kingdom Is Going Green, New York Times

How an architect is using solar power to prevent Puerto Rico’s next disaster, The Architects Newspaper
We Want Sun: A 100% Renewable Puerto Rico?, Microgrid Knowledge

We Want Sun: A 100% Renewable Puerto Rico?

AGGREGATION NEWS

Hawaiian Electric selects 7 solar-plus-storage projects for a combined 260 MW of renewable energy, Pacific Business News

ZERO-ENERGY HOMES

Zero energy homes makes cents – as Vivint builds in Rhode Island,
PV Magazine
RMI has released an economic analysis of Zero Energy homes, suggesting their economics meet industry standards and stay within homeowner appetites for larger investments, while Vivint Energy has built such a home in Rhode Island

The Sun Haven: Solar-Powered, Net-Zero Energy Home in Lincoln
Lincoln-based GRNE Solar teamed up with Wilderness Construction to build this net-zero energy home, with solar on the roof and outlets for electric vehicles in the garage. The home, called the Sun Haven, is located at 6077 Chartwell Lane in Lincoln. Through the use of solar power this home will produce as much energy as it consumes. YouTube Video: Drone View of The Sun Haven

FREE SEPA REPORT – CLICK IMAGE TO ACCESS IT

Over 1 GWh of Energy storage deployment by utility type and market segment
Overviews of 10 projects showcasing diverse energy storage applications
Easy to grasp summary of every state-level storage mandate and incentive

FYI FOR SOLAR SYSTEM OWNERS

Is It Necessary to Clean Solar Panels?
Mr. Green shines a light on the answer, Sierra Magazine

Rocky Mountain Institute officials agree Carbon County, Wyoming is breeding grounds for transition into renewable energy sources

By Ray K. Erku, Wyoming Business Report

RAWLINS – In many respects, Carbon County is at the forefront of a modern-day gold rush. Instead of mining for precious metal, however, fortune seekers look to harvest one of the Cowboy State’s most natural of resources: Wind . . . For the Anschutz Corporation, parent company of Power Company of Wyoming, the slated 1,000-turbine Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind farms will eclipse $5 billion in projected costs. Once completed, it’ll be considered the largest onshore wind generation facility in North America . . . PacifiCorp and Rocky Mountain Power, subsidiaries of multinational conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, which is headed by Buffett, are beginning to stomp their footprints in the county by partnering with Invenergy Co. to spearhead production of not just the Ekola and TB Flats projects, but the Gateway West Transmission Line. Read more here.

Photo by Power Company of Wyoming: According to Business Insider, a 2017 analysis revealed that it took $102 to generate one megawatt-hour from coal, compared to wind, which took $45.

Managing the Coal Capital Transition, Rocky Mountain Institute

MORE ENERGY TRANSITION NEWS

Climate Crisis Spurs UN Call for $2.4 Trillion Fossil Fuel Shift, Bloomberg
A report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated $2.4 trillion a year would need to be invested in green energy every year until 2035, more than 40 percent higher than the $1.8 trillion invested in the industry last year.
152 RE100 companies have made a commitment to go ‘100% renewable’. Read about the actions they are taking and why. For a growing number of companies, these include helping their suppliers access renewable energy for their own business operations, as well.
DOE energy storage grants look to the day when renewables rule the grid, Utility Dive
DOE program aims at low cost, long duration storage to meet grid needs when renewable penetration rises above 50%.
IEA Releases Reports on G20 Energy Transition Progress, IISD
Renewables 2018: Market analysis and forecast from 2018 to 2023, International Energy Agency
Solar PV capacity is forecast to expand by almost 600 GW – more than all other renewable power technologies combined, or as much as twice Japan’s total capacity, reaching 1 terawatt (TW) by the end of the forecast period. Despite recent policy changes, China remains the absolute solar PV leader by far, holding almost 40% of global installed PV capacity in 2023. The United States remains the second-largest growth market for solar PV, followed by India, whose capacity quadruples.
IEA low-balls solar growth (again), by Christian Roselund, PV Magazine
The agency’s base case expects relatively flat growth in solar deployment over the next six years, but for solar to still dominate growth among renewable technologies. The agency’s estimates are again below those of major market analysts.
A Brave New Energy World: How Innovation Is Powering A New Electric Revolution, Forbes

COSTS OF SOLAR PANELS CONTINUING TO DROP

Module prices have fallen by up to 25% so far this year, by Emiliano Bellini, PV Magazine
According to a Q3 report by EnergyTrend, monocrystalline module prices have fallen almost 20% this year, while those for polycrystalline modules have dropped by more than 25%. Increased consolidation among manufacturers and developers is expected to occur in China, and the global solar market, with more merger deals, plans for capacity reductions, and even factory closures.

PV MAGAZINE: SEIA GUIDE UPDATE

Best practices for building residential solar power and market confidence

Economists who changed thinking on climate change win Nobel Prize

By Quirin Schiermeier, Nature

A pair of US economists, William Nordhaus and Paul Romer, share the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for integrating climate change, and technological change, into macroeconomics, which deals with the behavior of an economy as a whole. Nordhaus, at the University of Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, is the founding father of the study of climate change economics. Economic models he has developed since the 1990s are now widely used to weigh the costs and benefits of curbing greenhouse gas emissions against those of inaction. Romer, who is at the NYU Stern School of Business in New York, was honored for his work on the role of technological change in economic growth. The economist is best-known for his studies on how market forces and economic decisions facilitate technological change. Read more here.

Photo: William Nordhaus (left) and Paul Romer

Could solar be a better deal than demand response for Iowa customers?

Written by Karen Uhlenhuth, Midwest Energy News

An Iowa clean energy advocate is trying to convince the state’s largest electric utility to rethink the way it manages peak demand. Kerri Johannsen, energy program director for the Iowa Environmental Council, thinks MidAmerican Energy could deliver better value for ratepayers by investing in solar instead of its expensive demand response programs . . . Johannsen calculated the cost to MidAmerican’s ratepayers at about $60,347 per megawatt hour. About $48,000 of that was for capacity, or the guarantee of access to power when needed. Continue reading here,

iStock Photo

MORE IOWA NEWS

Iowa, already a leader on wind, looks to take the next steps on storage, by Karen Uhlenhuth, Midwest Energy News
200 MW wind farm planned for Cherokee County: 88 turbines north of Marcus to be online by December 2019, Chronicle Times. EDF RE is a leading developer among corporate buyers of renewables which demonstrates the trust that environmentally-conscious companies place in EDF RE to deliver value. The Company’s growing North America portfolio of corporate purchasers includes Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Walmart and Yahoo. Glaciers Edge will bring the EDF RE’s portfolio of wind project development in Iowa to 1.1 GW.

How Much Power is 1 Gigawatt?, U.S. Department of Energy

NEWS FROM OTHER STATES

Michigan rules on five solar programs: three move forward, PV Magazine
State regulators have authorized two Consumers Energy green pricing programs, while telling a third – by DTS Energy – to do a bit more cost calculations. Additionally, Consumers’ Solar Gardens program was approved.
SEIA: Michigan Ruling Creates Some Much-Needed Certainty for the State’s Solar Market
With 118 megawatts (MW) installed, enough solar energy to power 18,500 homes, Michigan ranks 33rd in the country for installed solar capacity. [Friday’s] decision paves the way for a dramatic increase in installed solar capacity in Michigan. Michigan’s solar market is forecast to add 605 MW of solar over the next five years, a 347 percent growth rate, the 5th largest percentage growth of any state. These forecasts could grow substantially, depending on the MPSC’s ruling on Consumers Energy’s IRP.
Indiana school district says solar farm will save it $2.2M, The Republic
Report sees economic potential for Nevada energy storage, American Public Power Association
Nevada, US primed for up to a gigawatt of energy storage, PV Magazine
A report by the Brattle Group for Nevada regulators suggests that by 2030 – depending on pricing – 700 to 1,000 MW / 2.8 to 4 GWh worth of energy storage could be cost-effectively deployed statewide.
Stage Set for Solar Comeback in Massachusetts, SEIA News Release
Massachusetts is living proof of something we are seeing across the United States: the public’s demand for solar is far outpacing the policies that support more power from the sun. An overwhelming majority of Massachusetts voters — 84 percent — say there should be more solar in the Commonwealth, according to a September WBUR/MassINC poll. Those results mirror a new national poll SEIA commissioned that shows solar is the public’s preferred source of energy.
Six Flags Great Adventure goes solar, PV Magazine
KDC Solar is building a 23.5 MW solar project to serve the theme park, which will be the largest net-metered solar plant in New Jersey.

NEBRASKA’S SOLAR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT

SEIA: Nebraska Solar – Data Current Through Q2 2018
Solar Installers: Complete this survey to add your business to SEIA’s database. If you have questions or concerns about SEIA’s Nebraska stats or would like to request that additional solar projects or other information be added to our state’s data, contact SEIA research staff at data@seia.org or 202-469-3735.
SEE ALSO: Solar Energy Generation in Nebraska, Nebraska Energy Office. Updated September 28, 2018

100% RENEWABLES NEWS

RE100: Why a successful energy strategy calls for a board-level commitment, PV Magazine Contributor, Anesco
One key topic to grab the headlines during Climate Week NYC was the news that RE100 companies – a group of organizations who have all made a public commitment to go ‘100% renewable’ – are outperforming their peers.

NEW REPORT

Renewables 2018: Market analysis and forecast from 2018 to 2023, International Energy Agency
Solar PV capacity is forecast to expand by almost 600 GW – more than all other renewable power technologies combined, or as much as twice Japan’s total capacity, reaching 1 terawatt (TW) by the end of the forecast period. Despite recent policy changes, China remains the absolute solar PV leader by far, holding almost 40% of global installed PV capacity in 2023. The United States remains the second-largest growth market for solar PV, followed by India, whose capacity quadruples.

AWEA FACT CHECK

No, wind turbines do not cause global warming,
Into the Wind, AWEA Blog

Two researchers, David Keith and Lee Miller, released a new paper [Thursday] and their findings are problematic for several reasons. Furthermore, certain media outlets are misreporting what the paper actually says.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the first annual Bellevue / Omaha Solar Tour!

In addition to Bellevue and Omaha, solar enthusiasts came from Bennington, Elkhorn, Grand Island, Hastings, Lincoln, York, Council Bluffs and Iowa City to attend the first-ever nationally-sponsored solar tour in our region. The event was part of the 2018 National Solar Tour organized by the American Solar Energy Society and Solar United Neighbors.

Thank you to local tour hosts Don Preister, shown in the above photo with his backyard solar array, and Eric Williams, the Wetherby family, City Sprouts, Exist Green and OPPD. The tour was sponsored by Nebraska Sierra Club, Green Bellevue and Nebraskans for Solar.

Photo Credit: KETV

NEWS STORIES

City councilman’s home on national solar tour, KETV
Solar panel usage trends in metro, KMTV
Mr Zero: Preister’s zero-carbon life draws national attention, Bellevue Leader / Omaha World-Herald News Service

Bluestem Energy Solutions conducting renewable-energy study for Edgerton, Wisconsin

By Ashley McCallum, Gazette Xtra

A Nebraska energy company is conducting a feasibility study to find opportunities for renewable energy in Edgerton. The study will analyze energy consumption data provided by the city and determine whether city facilities qualify for renewable-energy development, said City Administrator Ramona Flanigan . . . Flanigan said she hopes the city’s investment will encourage other individuals and businesses to look into renewable-energy sources. Edgerton’s city hall has been powered by solar energy since it was built in 2010. Read more here.

Bluestem Energy Solutions partners with Boyd Jones, a construction company founded in 1924, to engineer and develop renewable energy systems to provide clean energy to their clients.

Bluestem Energy News Releases

Featured Renewable Energy / Climate Action Initiatives in Wisconsin