Want to beat the heat without breaking your budget? The Omaha Public Power District’s energy consultant, Eric BenSalah, and media relations specialist, Jodi Baker, offered these tips for efficient cooling of your home during this week’s predicted heat wave.
Additional Resources
Considering an electric vehicle but not sure what options are available? Plug In America’s popular Electric Vehicle Guide lists 40 currently available all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles with the retail price and mileage range, as of June 2019. The guide is available to download as a PDF.
To compare vehicles in greater detail, visit PlugStar.com. There, you can complete Plug In America’s EV Shopping Assistant, which makes personalized recommendations based on your budget, daily commute, access to charging, and many more considerations. Plus, you can find charging equipment, learn about incentives in your area, and connect with a PlugStar-certified dealer. And their EV Support Program will answer any questions you may have.
NEBRASKA’S LARGEST UTILITIES’ EV PROGRAMS & INCENTIVES
Cool Smart, an OPPD Power Forward program, is a demand-side management program that helps OPPD work toward its goal of shedding 300 megawatts (MW) of peak demand by 2023. To date, approximately 43,000 customers are enrolled in the program, and they’re getting paid to do so – $50 during the first year. Their participation is reducing OPPD’s peak energy usage by 62 MW. Learn more here.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For Nebraska, it’s meant an investment of more than $1 billion, including 1,000 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs, so far. And that’s just for the first phase. The second phase, set for completion in 2023, will bring more construction and another 100 permanent jobs. During a grand opening event June 13, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said, “OPPD was really the linchpin in helping make this deal happen, because they were able to offer Facebook 100% renewable energy.”
The company is partnering with the Papillion-La Vista Schools Foundation to invest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at the high-school level. The company’s skilled and technical trades program will build on the schools’ existing STEM education to benefit more than 1,000 students the first year alone. Read more here.
NEBRASKA’S LARGEST UTILITIES’ EV PROGRAMS & INCENTIVES
On Thursday, two years after construction began, a portion of the data center officially came online, connecting Papillion with Facebook’s network of similar centers that allow 2.38 billion monthly active users to share photos with friends, post life updates and stay connected from thousands of miles apart.
Facebook also is investing in Nebraska’s alternative energy sources. Committed to using 100% renewable energy to power its data centers, the company is buying wind power from the Omaha Public Power District, which in turn is purchasing it from the Rattlesnake Creek Wind Project in Dixon County, about two hours north of Omaha. Read more here.
Enel Green Power’s Photo of the Rattlesnake Creek Wind Farm in Dixon County, Nebraska
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING & VIEWING
MORE NEBRASKA NEWS & OPINION
APPA’s National Energy Innovator Award presented to NPPD, NPPD News Release
Columbus, Neb. – Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) was recognized with the Energy Innovator Award from the American Public Power Association at the Association’s national conference held in Austin, Texas. NPPD was one of nine public power utilities recognized for service to APPA and the public power industry during the conference.
Innovation now NPPD’s calling card, Kearney Hub Editorial
NPPD has been on an innovative trajectory for at least the past 10 years, diversifying the ways in which it generates electricity, opening doors for innovation in communities such as Norfolk and Kearney, and re-purposing resources for experimental projects, such as the Sheldon Station plant that’s being retooled to burn hydrogen in a process that produces no greenhouse gases. In recent years, NPPD has been investing more in wind energy, and it’s helping local communities to explore how to broaden the use of new clean energy — including Norfolk with a battery storage experiment and Kearney with its 53-acre solar farm.
LES CEO receives national public power award, LES News Release
AUSTIN, TX — Kevin G. Wailes, chief executive officer of Lincoln Electric System, received the Alan Richardson Statesmanship Award at the American Public Power Association’s national conference in Austin, Texas, on June 11, 2019. This award honors public power leaders who work to achieve consensus on national issues important to public power utilities.
First of all, thank you to our guest speakers for their excellent presentation on Nebraska’s first-ever community solar project developed by a neighborhood association: Terry Wittler and Jeff Buhrman, Lincoln Capitol Beach homeowners, led the association’s efforts to pioneer this
innovative model for our state.
Michael Shonka, owner of Solar Heat and Electric and Nebraskans for Solar board member,
collaborated with Terry and Jeff on the project and joined them for part of the program this evening. The challenges they encountered and the lessons learned resulted in a time-saving plan for anyone interested in proposing the same idea to other power districts.
The discussion that followed their presentation generated many insightful questions and
comments from audience members. Thank you to everyone who attended.
Michael Shonka’s contact information is listed in Nebraskans for Solar’s Directory for anyone with additional questions.
Terry Wittler may be reached at the following email address: terrywittler@gmail.com.
Photo by David Corbin
Solar farms are cropping up on Illinois’ open land, spurred by state requirements and a new state program, but several built-up suburbs are carving out room for solar power as well. From Evanston to Oak Park to Will County, communities are embracing solar power as a means to help meet renewable energy goals. And in Aurora, the state’s second-largest city, some advocates see solar power as part of their vision to get half of all Aurora’s energy from renewable sources within roughly 10 years . . . The growth of solar projects is spurred in part by the state’s Future Energy Jobs Act, which took effect in 2017 and, among other things, created new solar programs and incentives. Read more here.
See Also: Greenest Region Compact, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Initiative
HAPPENING IN OTHER CITIES & STATES
Virginia’s solar freedom bill
In this op-ed for PV Magazine, Ivy Main looks at new legislation to remove barriers and allow Virginia to develop its distributed solar potential. Ivy is a lawyer, writer and energy consultant who also serves as the Renewable Energy Chair for the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club. Her articles on Virginia energy topics appear regularly in the Virginia Mercury and her blog, PowerforthepeopleVA.com.
CORPORATE NEWS
How Tesla is taking over neighborhoods with solar energy, Electrek
Tesla has been betting on word of mouth to promote most of its products and solar has been no exception since it has acquired SolarCity. Here’s how Tesla has been taking over neighborhoods with solar energy thanks to the help of satisfied customers. Photo Credit: SolarCity
GE to install and test a ‘prototype’ of vast 12-megawatt turbine in the Netherlands, CNBC
FEATURED RESOURCES
Nebraska Utilities’ Programs & Incentives
NPPD Community / Rooftop Solar Resources
NPPD EnergyWise Incentives & Programs
OPPD’s Electric Vehicle Rebate Program – New rebates added.
More On OPPD Rebates & Programs
LES offers customers $1.5 million in Sustainable Energy Program incentives
ALSO OF POTENTIAL INTEREST
NPPD’s R-Project. To learn more about the project, click here.
NPPD News Release: Contract awarded for R-Project transmission line construction by NPPD
Many drivers have questions about how electric vehicles (EVs) work and their impact on the environment. In conjunction with National Drive Electric Week, we answer seven myths with facts about electric vehicles. OPPD launched its EV pilot rebate program in June.
In its first 90 days, 22 chargers and 25 car and charger rebates were paid to customers. More applications are awaiting approval. Since the program began, Nissan has increased its sale of the Leaf electric vehicle, selling 11 in the Omaha metro.
MYTH #1: EVs have a limited driving range for a full charge. Click here to get the facts.
NEBRASKA DRIVE ELECTRIC WEEK EVENTS
Omaha
Sunday, September 9, 2018
11 am to 3 pm
Creighton University Skutt Student Center Ballroom
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, Nebraska 68178
Register Here
Lincoln
Sunday, September 16, 2018
12 pm to 4 pm
Hy-Vee parking lot
5020 N 27th Street Hy-Vee
Lincoln, Nebraska 68521
Register Here.
Many utilities, including local ones, have committed millions of dollars to wind and solar projects, signing contracts with significant penalties if broken. Utilities also belong to regional groupings that require certain levels of production. “The bottom line of what it would do is increase our prices,” said Anne McGuire, vice chair of the Omaha Public Power District board. “We would have to increase our rates, which we wouldn’t be too happy about.” The president on June 1 ordered Energy Secretary Rick Perry to take “immediate steps” to boost struggling coal and nuclear plants. Read the entire article here.
Omaha World-Herald print title: Utilities wary of possible requirement to use more coal, nuclear power
Photo Courtesy of Lincoln Electric System: OPPD is planning to build a solar array near Fort Calhoun similar in size to Lincoln Electric System’s SunShares 5-megawatt Solar Farm.
RELATED READING
ALSO OF POTENTIAL INTEREST
With more solar and wind, North America’s grid is getting more reliable
The Lincoln Electric System introduced its first solar-powered charging bench in Holmes Park on Tuesday afternoon. The utility purchased the bench, along with four solar-powered mobile charging stations, using the savings realized by customers switching to paperless billing, said LES spokeswoman Kelley Porter. Click here to read more.
More About LES’ Paperless Billing
YouTube Video: Enroll in LES Paperless Billing
ALSO HAPPENING IN LINCOLN
City plans to pay $12M to convert to LED street lights using loan to itself, by Nancy Hicks, Lincoln Journal Star
Photo by Lauren Wagner, reprinted with permission.