Tag Archives: Nebraska Energy Office

Johnsons’ home solar investment will pay off in a few years

Written by Mike Konz, Kearney Hub

KEARNEY — Today, 14 months after they went online, the solar panels feeding energy to Joe and Tara Johnson’s home northeast of Kearney are producing the numbers the couple expected when they invested $20,000 in October 2019 installing them. The panels don’t always eliminate their monthly electricity bills, but they are carving off a substantial portion of the bills, just as Joe had hoped. Read more and view a series of photos here.

Photo Credit: Erika Pritchard, Kearney Hub

Featured Solar+Storage Guide

Understanding Solar+Storage: Answers to Commonly Asked Questions About Solar PV and Battery Storage, CleanEnergy Group

This guide addresses commonly asked questions about solar PV and battery storage technologies. It is based on the results of a survey identifying the most common knowledge gaps around solar and energy storage.

The information presented in the guide focuses primarily on customer-sited, behind-the-meter solar+storage installations, though much of the information is relevant to other types of projects as well, including storage-only projects and front-of-the-meter solar+storage projects. It is meant to serve as a starting point to establish a foundation of knowledge and understanding for individuals and organizations beginning to explore solar+storage options for their homes, businesses, or community facilities.

7 Things to Know About Renewable Natural Gas

By Tom Cyrs and John Feldmann, World Resources Institute

The production and use of renewable natural gas made from organic waste is growing rapidly in the United States. In the last five years, the number of production facilities has grown approximately threefold, with about 115 facilities now making the fuel — which is interchangeable with fossil natural gas — out of landfill waste, animal manure, wastewater, food waste and other organic feedstocks.

Due to the potential benefits of renewable natural gas as an alternative to fossil fuels, a handful of states including California, Washington and Oregon have integrated it into climate goals. Both state and national assessments find that sufficient amounts of the waste-derived fuel could be produced to displace as much as 4-7% of current fossil gas consumption, while delivering other co-benefits related to waste management.

However, policymakers across the country still face questions on the extent to which renewable natural gas can help states meet ambitious climate change targets. A new research paper by WRI examines the potential of renewable natural gas as a climate strategy.

Learn more here.

Additional Recommended Reading

Nebraska to Become the Midwest’s Leader in Building Efficiency

By Tara Lukasik, Building Safety Journal. Republished in the Nebraska
Energy Office’s June 2019 Newsletter, Nebraska Energy Quarterly

The state of Nebraska is ready to update the state’s energy codes for residential and commercial buildings — from the 2009 to the 2018 edition — which will make the state a regional leader on building efficiency. Nebraska lawmakers presented LB 405 to Governor Pete Ricketts on May 2, 2019, which he signed into law (effective Sept. 7, 2019).

Shortly before, Governor Ricketts signed LB 348 into law (also effective Sept. 7, 2019) which updates the International Building Code, International Residential Code and International Existing Building Code from the 2012 to the 2018 edition. Read the entire article here.

Additional articles and resources in the electronic newsletter are posted here.

Click here to subscribe to the Nebraska Energy Quarterly.

Infrastructure fund snatches up Clean Energy Collective

By Christian Roselund, PV Magazine


For the past few years we at pv magazine have been reporting on the trend of asset managers, infrastructure funds, and even insurance companies and pension funds moving in to buy up portfolios of solar projects, starting with yieldcos and large-scale projects, and later moving into distributed solar portfolios. The acquisitions have become particularly intense in the past few months, and we’ve written about the “wall of money” looking for projects to buy. Now these funds may be making the next step, which is going from buying projects to investing in the developers and other companies that make these projects happen. Read more here.

Photo Credit: Clean Energy Collective

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING

NEBRASKA ENERGY OFFICE LOANS

Nebraska Dollar and Energy Saving Loans are offered statewide by the Nebraska Energy Office and the state’s lending institutions. The simple interest rates are as low as 1%*.
*final annual percentage rate (APR) may vary by lender and loan fees charged.

Many common home, building or system energy improvements qualify for financing.

Enel Green Power acquires US renewable developer Tradewind Energy

News Release, Enel Green Power

Enel Green Power has closed an agreement today to purchase Kansas-based renewable developer Tradewind Energy, Inc. Under the agreement, EGP purchased all of Tradewind’s development platform comprising of 13 GW of wind, solar and storage projects located throughout the US. Read more here.

Tradewind Energy Photo: Rattlesnake Creek Wind Farm in Dixon County, Nebraska

Additional Recommended Reading

Enel acquires US developer Tradewind, by David Weston, Wind Power Monthly
The Kansas-based developer Tradewind has worked with Enel in the US since 2006, on a number of major wind projects across the US. Roughly 3.9GW of Enel’s North American operating wind portfolio was developed by Tradewind. This included the 400MW Cimarron Bend project in Kansas, and the 200MW Rattlesnake Creek site in Nebraska, which is providing power to social media giant Facebook. 

More About the Rattlesnake Creek Wind Farm
The 101–turbine Rattlesnake Creek Wind Farm was constructed by Enel Green Power and is located between the towns of Allen, Emerson, and Wakefield in Dixon County. The wind farm became operational December 18, 2018. Maximum capacity is 318,150 kilowatts (or 318.15 megawatts), enough power for approximately 90,000 homes. Facebook is planning to purchase 200 megawatts.
Source: Wind Energy Generation in Nebraska, Nebraska Energy Office

US adds 1.15 GW of large wind, solar capacity in Jan 2019

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Update,
Post Written by Renewables Now

The 202.5-MW Upstream Wind Energy Project in Nebraska and the 161.3-MW Pine River Wind Park in Michigan were among the biggest newly completed installations in the US in January. Most of the new solar power capacity for the month is located in Florida. Read more here.

Invenergy Photo: Upstream Wind Energy Center Turbine

About Nebraska’s Upstream Wind Energy Center
Invenergy has constructed several other wind projects in Nebraska in addition to the  81 turbines for the Upstream Wind Energy Center on the north and east side of Neligh in Antelope County. The wind project became operational in January, 2019. Maximum capacity is 200,000 kilowatts (or 200 megawatts). The wind project is expected to supply enough annual energy to power approximately 68,000 homes.

Invenergy also built the 118–turbine Prairie Breeze Wind Energy Farm located in Antelope, Boone, and Madison counties, which began commercial operation in March 2014. Maximum capacity is 200 megawatts. The average annual output could power 60,000 homes.

Source: Wind Energy Generation in Nebraska, Nebraska Energy Office

Previously Posted News Release
In January Florida Power & Light (FPL) announced in a news release a groundbreaking “30-by 30” plan to install more than 30 million solar panels by 2030. “FPL and its sister company, NextEra Energy Resources, are already the world’s largest producer of renewable energy from the wind and sun and, when this plan is completed, FPL expects to be the largest utility owner and operator of solar in America.” Read the news release here.

Additional Recommended Reading

After a tough 2018, solar is getting ready for a major boom, by Tim Sylvia and Christian Roselund, PV Magazine USA

The United States finished 2018 with nearly 24 GWdc of utility-scale projects under power contracts, a volume only ever exceeded three months ago. Furthermore, 2.6 GWdc of those contracted projects are already under construction. When looking beyond projects which have contracts secured, Wood Mackenzie identified more than 42 GWdc of projects that have been announced and are in their respective interconnection queues nationally.

Consumer demand drives record year for wind energy purchases

American Wind Energy Association News Release

US wind power industry reports third strongest quarter ever for new capacity installations.

WASHINGTON — Fortune 500 brands and a range of other non-utility entities, including cities and universities, are catalyzing America’s growing demand for renewable energy by purchasing a record amount of wind power in 2018 according to a new report released today by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Consumer demand combined with policy stability and low, stable prices helped wind power capacity installations rise to the third strongest quarter in the industry’s history.

AWEA’s U.S. Wind Industry Fourth Quarter 2018 Market Report reveals that non-utility customers like AT&T, Walmart, ExxonMobil, and Shell Energy purchased a record 4,203 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity in 2018 through long-term contracts, or Power Purchase Agreements (PPA). Contracted wind capacity from non-utility customers in 2018 surged 66 percent higher than the previous high-water mark in 2015. Data from the Business Renewables Center confirms that wind provides more energy to corporate brands than any other renewable source. Read the entire news release here.

Wind Energy in Nebraska
Nebraska is a national leader in wind resource potential. Nebraska is one of the top states in the country for potential wind energy generation, with a technical potential of approximately 465,000 megawatts (MW) according to NREL. Nebraska now has 1,972 MW of installed wind power and ranks 14th in the nation for installed capacity. Harnessing more of Nebraska’s wind potential could make the state a powerhouse for the wind industry while providing savings for electricity customers. Source: Nebraska Fact Sheet (PDF), American Wind Energy Association

Wind Energy Generation in Nebraska, Nebraska Energy Office

Photo: “Wind Rainbow,” AWEA’s Wind Energy Image Gallery

Invenergy Announces Start of Commercial Operations of Upstream Wind Energy Center

Invenergy News Release

CHICAGO (Jan.17, 2019) – Invenergy, a leading privately-held global developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions, announced the completion of construction and the start of commercial operations of the 200-megawatt Upstream Wind Energy Center in Antelope County, Nebraska. Located just north of the City of Neligh, Upstream was developed and constructed by Invenergy and will generate enough electricity to power 68,000 American homes. The project supported 275 workers during peak construction and will create 11 permanent full-time operations and maintenance jobs for the long-term operation of the project. Upstream will contribute approximately $2 million annually to the local economy through tax payments, lease payments to participating landowners, and wages and benefits for employees. Read more here.

Photo Credit: Invenergy

Other Invenergy Projects In Operation In Nebraska

  • 35.8 MW Prairie Breeze III Wind Energy Center in Antelope County southeast of Elgin. 20 turbines. Commercial Operation Date: 2015
  • 73.4 MW Prairie Breeze II Wind Energy Center in northeastern Nebraska in Antelope and Boone Counties. 41 turbines. Commercial Operation Date: 2015
  • 200 MW Prairie Breeze I in Antelope, Boone and Madison Counties. 118 turbines. Commercial Operation Date: 2014
    Source: Wind Energy Generation in Nebraska, Nebraska Department of Environment & Energy

Previously Posted: County gives approval to test towers to collect wind speeds, Norfolk Daily News

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING

EDF Renewables acquires Nebraska wind energy project, News Release
EDF Renewables North America has closed on a purchase agreement with York Nebraska Wind Partners, LLC, a partnership comprised of Aksamit Resource Management, LLC and York Capital Management for 100-percent of the interests in the 300-megawatt (MW) Milligan 1 Wind Project located in Nebraska.  The Project is currently in development with anticipated operation to commence in late 2020.

The Project, sited in Saline County in southern Nebraska, will sell its generated energy and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) into the Southwest Power Pool. Milligan 1 Wind marks the first project for EDF Renewables in Nebraska . . . The expected electricity generated at full capacity is enough to meet the consumption of up to 115,000 average homes.

Hitesman to retire June 3, Hastings Tribune

William “Bill” Hitesman was named president of CCC-Hastings in 2002. He also serves as vice president over the skilled and technical sciences and business and entrepreneurship/incubator divisions. In recent years, he directed the groundbreaking for the Hamilton Building expansion and installation of an on-campus 1.7-megawatt wind turbine. He was also instrumental in helping bring such programs to campus as heavy equipment operator technician, truck driving, diesel technology and the forthcoming wind energy program. 

Highlights from a third quarter wind boom

By Celeste Wanner, Into the Wind, AWEA Blog

Notably, seven states now have enough wind projects under construction or in advanced development to more than double their capacity to generate electricity from wind once completed. This includes heartland states with land-based wind under development—Arkansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Wyoming—as well as coastal states Maryland and Massachusetts, where offshore wind is poised to scale up. Read more here.

Nebraska Fact Sheet – AWEA

Nebraska is a national leader in wind resource potential. Nebraska is one of the top states in the country for potential wind energy generation, with a technical potential of approximately 465,000 megawatts (MW) according to NREL. Nebraska now has 1,445 MW of installed wind power, and was the 18th state to join the “Gigawatt Club.” Nebraska’s wind potential, combined with manufacturing expertise, could make the state a powerhouse for the wind industry while providing savings for electricity customers. The state lies in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), where wind power saved electricity customers $1.2 billion in 2013.

Nebraska Wind Projects as of 3Q 2018 

  • Installed wind capacity: 1,452 MW » State rank for installed wind capacity: 17th
  • Number of wind turbines: 792 » State rank for number of wind turbines: 17th
  • Wind projects online: 23 (Projects above 10 MW: 16)
  • Wind capacity under construction: 855 MW
  • Wind capacity in advanced development: 796 MW
    Wind Energy In Nebraska (PDF)

NEBRASKA ALSO IN THE NEWS HERE

Record Wind Project Construction Underway at Tri Global Energy, News Release

 According to the Q3 2018 Market Report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the trade group for the U.S. wind energy industry, Tri Global Energy’s Texas wind projects represent 3,528 MW, over 57 percent of the total megawatts currently being developed in the state. With the 100 MW from its Sugar Loaf wind project in Nebraska, the total of 3,628 MW in development represents a new company record for TGE, which was launched in 2009. 

SUGAR LOAF WIND FARM
The 100-MW Sugar Loaf Wind Energy Project in Garden County, Nebraska was the first wind energy project for Tri Global Energy beyond Texas borders, announced in an August, 2017 news release.

See Also: Wind Generation in Nebraska,
Nebraska Energy Office

Seven states to double their wind power in near term as Q3 development picks up

American Wind Energy Association News Release

WASHINGTON — Seven states, from Nebraska to Massachusetts, will soon build enough wind turbines to more than double their capacity to generate clean and reliable wind energy, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) U.S. Wind Industry Third Quarter 2018 Market Report released today. The report also reveals the first firm orders for 4-megawatt (MW) land-based wind turbines, nearly twice as powerful as the average wind turbine installed in 2017 . . . The average utility-scale wind turbine installed in 2017 was rated at 2.32 MW but more powerful wind turbines are on the horizon, according to AWEA. In the third quarter, new orders for wind turbines include land-based turbines above 4 MW for the first time, which are capable of powering 1,400 homes a year. Read more here.

Photo: “Wind Rainbow,” AWEA’s Wind Energy Image Gallery

Wind Energy Generation in Nebraska, Nebraska Energy Office