Tag Archives: City of Scottsbluff

Growth in Solar Capacity Projected to Fuel Rural Economies

By Eric Galatas, Public News Service – Nebraska

LYONS, Neb. — The growth of the solar industry has brought a wave of new projects to Nebraska, including a community solar farm in Scottsbluff that’s expected to save the city more than $2 million in energy costs over 25 years. With more projects on the horizon, Lu Nelsen, policy program associate for the advocacy group Center for Rural Affairs, says solar is poised to boost rural economies. Nelsen says advances in technology and manufacturing have made solar more affordable for homes, communities and for big utility companies.

Read more or listen to the recording here.

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Wind farms can bring economic benefits, officials say, by Elizabeth A. Elliott, Blair Enterprise Publishing

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OPPD NEWS

Lighting the way – ahead of schedule, by Jason Kuiper, The Wire
After accelerating the replacement of streetlights with new LED fixtures last year, OPPD is running ahead of schedule on the project. The utility announced the project in 2018 to update the 98,744 streetlights in the OPPD service territory over a five-year period. So far, 32,000 lights have been replaced. Lights in smaller towns are done and SIDS will be among the next wave of replacements.

As Nebraska Public Power celebrates 50 years, Scottsbluff solar project goes online

By Jerry Purvis, Scottsbluff Star-Herald

It was Nathan Johnson’s last official day as Scottsbluff city manager as he joined city officials and representatives from Nebraska Public Power District to cut the ribbon on the community’s new solar energy facility. NPPD Account Manager Terry Rajewich welcomed the public to the ceremony at the Landers Soccer Complex north of Scottsbluff.

“Partnerships are what we’re about,” Rajewich said. “NPPD is turning 50 this year and Scottsbluff has been with us for the past 46 years. They were the first to express an interest in purchasing more of its power from solar generation.” Continue reading here.

NPPD cutting ribbon on new community solar facility

Nebraska Public Power District News Release


Columbus, Neb. – The time has come to celebrate the launch of a new community solar farm with the official ribbon cutting for the Scottsbluff II project. The new addition to the Scottsbluff community’s renewable energy portfolio is set to go live on March 1, with the ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m. March 2. “We are very excited to cut the ribbon and celebrate the official launch of Scottsbluff II,” says Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) Vice-President and Retail General Manager Tim Arlt. “The Scottsbluff II project is a great partnership between the city of Scottsbluff – NPPD and N-Solar and these combined efforts are what made this project a reality.” The ceremony is set to take place in the Landers Memorial Soccer Complex parking lot at 4205 5th Avenue just outside the new solar facility. Continue reading here.

OPPD News

Structure rebuild completed in time for potential flooding, The Wire

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County board discusses North Bend project, solar farm

By Collin Spilinek, Fremont Tribune

[The Dodge County Board of Supervisors] unanimously approved a conditional use permit for Western Integrated Seed to establish a seven-acre solar farm on their property near Hooper. The farm came from a collaboration between Bluestem Energy Solutions and the Burt County Public Power District to provide energy to the county.

Bluestem is a renewable energy developer based out of Omaha that works with public power districts and municipal utilities across the state to provide them with options for local renewable generation. Matt Robinette, vice president of development, said the farm will provide energy to around 150 homes in Burt County. Read more here.

Additional Recommended Reading

Scottsbluff II Solar shares selling fast, NPPD News Release
Shares for the 4.375-megawatt solar farm opened for registration on Jan. 2, 2020. In just under a month, over 90 percent of the Scottsbluff II shares have already been purchased. 

Photo Credit: American Public Power Association

Interested in solar energy? Nebraska Public Power District can help make that interest a reality

NPPD News Release

Residents of Scottsbluff who are interested in having solar energy as part of their electricity options, now have the opportunity! The City of Scottsbluff, in cooperation and partnership with Nebraska Public Power District, will again offer community solar shares to their customers in Scottsbluff. A second community solar project is under construction in Scottsbluff, located near Landers Soccer Complex. The 4.375-megawatt solar farm, scheduled to go live this spring, will begin taking registration for shares from Scottsbluff residents and businesses on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020. The initial solar farm, located at NPPD’s Scottsbluff office, was well received and sold out immediately. Continue reading here.

More Nebraska News

Wayne State partners with UNL to offer dual-degree program, Kearney Hub
The goals of the partnership are to provide education platforms in resilient food, energy, water and societal systems in alignment with career opportunities, as well as prepare teachers and curriculum to respond to the increased need for agricultural science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) educators.

A Solar CEO’s 2019 Forecast: More Complexity, New Investors and Continued Growth

Sol Systems CEO Yuri Horwitz shares a view from the front lines of the solar sector. Greentech Media

America overwhelmingly supports renewable energy. As of January 2019, 73 percent of Americans support the further development of renewable energy, according to The Pew Research Center, which is one of the largest pluralities in history. The United States has the largest electricity load in the world, and these same Americans are electricity customers who support both policy initiatives for renewable energy and who will create the demand for renewables in the next decade. In 2018, we noted that Americans overwhelmingly support our industry, but we did not anticipate how rapidly this would translate into renewable support at the state level. Read more here.

Solar Array: Sol Systems and GenPro Energy Solutions partnered with the City of Lexington to develop, finance, and construct this 3.9 MW solar farm. The array produces enough energy to power 700 homes each year. Through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), Lexington locked in 25 years of price certainty against volatile wholesale electricity rates.

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NPPD to plug in more solar energy, Scottsbluff Star Herald
A new source of electricity will soon be available to Scottsbluff residents and businesses when a 4.6 megawatt solar project comes online by the end of the year. Construction on the solar array should begin during the summer of 2019 at the southeast edge of the Landers Soccer Complex north of Scottsbluff. The array will include more than 14,000 solar panels that will track the sun throughout the day. NPPD has entered into a 25-year purchase agreement with solar finance and development firm Sol Systems for a fixed solar electricity rate of 5.19 cents per kilowatt hour.

City moves toward solar energy

By Jerry Purvis, Scottsbluff Star-Herald

SCOTTSBLUFF — Scottsbluff could realize some of the lowest electric rates in the nation under an agreement that will bring solar power to all city operations. During its Monday meeting, council members approved a lease agreement with Sol Systems, LLC as part of the city’s five-megawatt solar power project. Sol Systems would then enter into an energy purchase agreement with Nebraska Public Power District for distribution of the solar electricity.
Continue reading here.

NPPD Photo: Scottsbluff Community Solar Project. Through NPPD’s SunWise Program, a total of 135 solar shares were available. Each solar share = 150 kilowatt-hours per month, the minimum participation level. The maximum participation level was the number of solar shares equal to 80% of a customer’s total annual energy consumption. For example, if a customer used an average of 1,000 kilowatt hours per month, 80% = 750 kilowatt-hours or up to five solar shares. All 135 solar shares were spoken for, and customers are now placed on a wait-list. See Solar Examples for additional details.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING
Recently Reposted by the Clean Energy Finance Forum: Small Decisions Move Clean Energy Forward in Nebraska

South Sioux City Solar Farm: 2.3-megawatt array (1,200 panels) located on a 21-acre solar park south of the city, alongside C Avenue. The array generates enough energy to provide 5% of South Sioux City’s electrical needs. This is the first Nebraska project for California-based developer Solar City, a Tesla Motors subsidiary.
Archived News Story: Solar is South Sioux City’s latest investment in renewables, Sioux City Journal
Photo Credit: Tim Hynds, Sioux City Journal

NEWS FROM OTHER STATES

ELECTRIC BUSES – NEWS & A REPORT

Scottsbluff ready to add solar electricity

By Jerry Purvis, Scottsbluff Star Herald

SCOTTSBLUFF — The City of Scottsbluff has taken the first step toward building a 5-megawatt solar electric station to provide more low-cost energy to its residents. At their Monday meeting, council members agreed on a location just south and east of the Landers Soccer Complex north of the city. Scottsbluff City Manager Nathan Johnson said the project will save the city about $500,000 in interconnectivity costs as there is already a transmission station in that area.
Read the entire article here.

Photo: Scottsbluff’s First Community Solar Project. Credit: NPPD

NPPD’s SunWise Program