Tag Archives: Nebraskans for Solar

Local Events Part of National Solar Tour – The Largest Annual Grassroots Renewable Energy Event in the U.S.

This annual nationwide tour provides numerous opportunities for you to visit with Nebraskans who have invested in solar energy and with Hastings Utilities representatives at the city’s new solar farm, to gain information about how solar works, its benefits, and what local resources are available.

These open houses and tours are free, and people of all ages are invited to attend. Whether you are a solar owner, completely new to solar, or somewhere in between – these events are for you. Click links to learn more about each one and to RSVP:

Hastings Utilities Open House at the Community Solar Farm : October 3, 2019, 3 to 6 pm. More information about the solar farm is available here.
Bennington Solar Open House : October 5, 2019, 11 am to 6 pm
Omaha Solar Tour: October 5, 2019 – 11 am to 2 pm
Bellevue/Sarpy County Solar Tour: October 6, 2019 – 11 am to 2 pm
This is the second year for the Omaha and Bellevue/Sarpy County Tours.
Sponsors: Nebraska Sierra Club, Green Bellevue, Great Plains Renewables, Solar Heat & Electric, Nebraskans for Solar

National Solar Tour Event – Hastings Utilities Hosting Open House at Recently-Completed Community Solar Farm

This event is part of the National Solar Tour, the largest annual
grassroots renewable energy event in the nation.

RSVP HERE.

Hastings Utilities is hosting a tour and ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday, October 3, 2019 from 3 pm – 6 pm at the recently-completed Community Solar Farm. The project was installed by GenPro Energy Solutions. See solar panels up close, ask questions about how solar works, learn why people in a growing number of our communities are making the choice to go solar, and connect with others who support solar energy. This event is free and open to the public. More information is available about Hastings’ Community Solar Farm here.

MORE NEBRASKA EVENTS

The following solar open house and tours are also free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome to attend. Whether you are a solar owner, completely new to solar, or somewhere in between – these events are for you.

Bennington, Nebraska Solar Open House: October 5, 2019, 11 am to 6 pm
20210 High Country Circle, Bennington, Nebraska 68007. “Our solar system was installed by Great Plains Renewables in 2018.” RSVP HERE.
Omaha, Nebraska Solar Tour: October 5, 2019, 11 am to 2 pm. RSVP HERE.
Bellevue/Sarpy County Solar Tour: October 6, 2019, 11 am to 2 pm. RSVP HERE. Omaha and Bellevue/Sarpy County Solar Tours’ Sponsors: Green Bellevue, Nebraska Sierra Club, Nebraskans for Solar

Green Bellevue celebrates 10 years

By Brody Hilgencamp, Bellevue Leader / Omaha World-Herald

Sharon Rea has been president of Green Bellevue for eight months, and she uses an apt metaphor to describe the organization she has been tapped to lead and the people who founded it. “The seeds that they planted — literally — everything is carrying forward,” she said.

The rain gardens and recycling are big deals, leaders said, but the pièce de résistance would be the group’s next grand plan: a solar farm in the Bellevue area. The group hopes to work with Omaha Public Power District to make it happen. “I see us putting a lot of effort to that initiative in the next few months,” Rea said. “We’re determined.” Read more here.

Photo by Brody Hilgenkamp: Ruth Richter, left, Sharon Rea and Don Preister

Bellevue’s Proposed Landfill Solar Project – Previously Posted

Creighton University Technology Students Complete Community Solar Feasibility Study, Nebraskans for Solar
Old landfill eyed as solar farm, Bellevue Leader
Students tie solar farm to Offutt needs, Omaha World-Herald

Given solar energy’s substantial price declines over the past several years since Bellevue’s landfill solar project was first proposed, it would be good to see an up-to-date analysis of the project’s levelized costs over a twenty-year power purchase agreement.

Bellevue/Sarpy County & Omaha Participating in The National Solar Tour

The National Solar Tour is the largest annual grassroots
renewable energy event in the nation.

The following local, second-annual solar tours are free and open to the public – everyone is welcome to attend. Whether you are a solar owner, completely new to solar, or somewhere in between – these events are for you.

National Solar Tour Event – Omaha, October 5, 2019, 11 am to 2 pm. RSVP HERE.
National Solar Tour Event – Bellevue/Sarpy County, October 6, 2019, 11 am to 2 pm. RSVP HERE.

Local Solar Tour Sponsors: Green Bellevue, Nebraska Sierra Club, Nebraskans for Solar

Plugging in for an electric road trip

By Jason Kuiper, The Wire, OPPD Blog

OPPD customer Syed Ali decided to document his trip from Omaha to Princeton, N.J. The
reason was simple. His friends, especially those in the electric car community, liked the photos he took of his Chevrolet Bolt.

So Ali, a data scientist who serves as chief statistician for Analytics Led Intelligence, took photos in Des Moines, Chicago, Pittsburgh and every single charging station along the way. From car dealerships to Walmarts and hotels, Ali documented it all. Continue reading here.

Photo Credit: OPPD

Note: Syed Ali is President-Elect of Nebraskans for Solar and will become President on
January 1, 2019. Our nonprofit organization has the board governance structure of President, President-Elect and Past President. Our current President is Michael Shonka, owner of Solar Heat & Electric, and Past President, Jared Friesen, Renewable Energy Specialist at Morrissey Engineering, Inc. Ali and his wife, Shama, are currently installing a 6-kilowatt PV system to charge their electric vehicles and to provide renewable energy for their home. They plan to add a Tesla Powerwall to their system.

About Jason Kuiper
Jason Kuiper joined OPPD as a communications specialist in 2015. He formerly worked as a staff writer and reporter at the Omaha World-Herald.
View all posts by Jason Kuiper.

OPPD’S ELECTRIC VEHICLE REBATE PILOT PROGRAM

OPPD is offering rebates in order to build an electric grid for the future and an infrastructure that will handle increases in EV charging. By participating, you’ll be helping OPPD gauge where people are charging their EVs and how much energy is being used to do it.

$500 Rebate On ChargePoint Home Charging Station
Dealership Discounts
Incentive Requirements
$3,000 incentive towards a 2018 Nissan Leaf purchased between June 4, 2018 &
January 2, 2019
$1,000 incentive towards a 2019 Audi e-tron
Available to all OPPD customers
(Up To) $7,500 Federal Tax Incentive
Federal tax incentives currently remain available. OPPD recommends that you speak to your tax advisor for specific details.

Click here for more information on how to take advantage of these incentives while they last.

YouTube Video: “Tim Burke, President & CEO of OPPD – Nebraska Sierra Club Presentation”

For those of you who missed Tim Burke’s presentation and Q&A last night at First United Methodist Church of Omaha, Nebraska Sierra Club Chair David Corbin has provided the link to the entire presentation.

The event was organized and sponsored by the Nebraska Chapter Sierra Club and co-sponsored by Green Bellevue and Nebraskans for Solar.

Videograher: Michael Mierendorf

RE100 Members Increase Renewable Energy By 41% As Initiative Spreads Around The Globe

By Joshua S. Hill, CleanTechnica

The RE100 initiative, led by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP, has grown leaps and bounds in recent years, and in 2018 — amidst the starkest warning yet from scientists of the dangers of climate change and unchecked global warming — RE100 added 37 new companies, bringing the total up to 155 companies creating demand for a phenomenal 188 terawatt-hours of renewable power each year — equivalent to the 23rd largest country in the world.
Read more here.

Photo Credit: IKEA

MORE CORPORATE NEWS

Panasonic Grows Residential Solar Installer Network, Solar Industry
Panasonic Eco Solutions of North America has announced a cross-country expansion of its residential solar installer program with the addition of six premium installers across three regions, enabling more homeowners access to the company’s HIT module portfolio. Launched in the U.S. in 2016, the program now has 24 premium installers and more than 150 authorized installers.
Canadian Solar is putting more steel in the ground, PV Magazine
The Chinese-Canadian PV manufacturer is continuing to grow its development activities under subsidiary Recurrent Energy, including some landmark solar and solar plus storage projects.
Customer preference shifts from utilities to third-party providers for rooftop solar, EV: Cogent, Utility Dive
Walmart out to create an economy of reuse, company says, Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Walmart’s commitment to a circular economy goes beyond recycling. In April 2017, it unveiled Project Gigaton. The goal is for the company and its suppliers to help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 1 billion metric tons by the year 2030.

NEWS FROM OTHER STATES

How Ohio can capture $25 billion worth of clean energy growth, Midwest Energy News
Ohio risks missing out on roughly $25 billion in investments and 20,000 new jobs over the next two decades if state officials don’t take steps soon to expand clean energy, according to a new analysis. Synapse Energy Economics of Cambridge, Massachusetts, released its second Powering Ohio report, which was funded by the Environmental Defense Fund with input from a variety of businesses and research institutions.
Chicago challenges businesses to power buildings with renewable energy, Smart Cities Dive
As statewide solar-rush continues, one school district eyes possible savings, Belleville News-Democrat. As businesses and organizations throughout Illinois continue to prepare applications to construct solar farms and install rooftop solar panels through the state’s Adjustable Block Program, one area school district wants to get in on the action. Triad School District in Troy is looking to add solar panels to four of its schools through the solar initiative, citing it as a smart financial decision for the district and a learning opportunity for its students.
Eleven renewable energy suitors for Rhode Island, PV Magazine
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo’s goal of 1 GW of renewables by the end of 2020 has taken a 400 MW step. The state’s 400 MW Request for Proposals (RFP) (.pdf, 27 pages), administered by its sole electric utility – National Grid – received a total of 41 project bids from eleven unique developers. The projects were cumulatively 2.5 GW of capacity, which far outpaces the state’s demands, but does give some insight into the potential available if the state were to grow past its current 1 GW ambitions.

Seven steps to community solar

By John Weaver, PV Magazine

Nationwide, over 220 utilities offer community solar programs across 36 states, and a growing number of rural electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and investor owned utilities are exploring or implementing community solar program offerings. Currently there is only around 1 GW of community solar installed, but some see a path toward 84 GW by 2030.

To assist in reaching this ambitious goal, Vote Solar and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) have released their Checklist for Voluntary Utility-Led Community Solar Programs. The document divides its advice into seven sections: Continue reading here.

IREC Photo

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

UPCOMING WEBINAR

IREC and Vote Solar will host a joint webinar on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 12pm Central Time to discuss the recently-released Checklist for Voluntary Utility-Led Community Solar Programs and other shared renewables tools, including IREC’s National Shared Renewables Scorecard and Shared Renewables Policy Catalog. To register, click HERE.

About IREC
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council increases access to sustainable energy and energy efficiency through independent, fact-based policy leadership, quality workforce development and consumer empowerment. A not-for-profit organization since 1982, IREC’s state-by-state work and national leadership make clean energy possible and reliable, including for low- to moderate-income customers and underserved communities. Learn more at www.irecusa.org

About Vote Solar
Since 2002, Vote Solar has been working to lower solar costs and expand solar access. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Vote Solar advocates for state policies and programs needed to repower our electric grid with clean energy. Learn more at www.votesolar.org

Electric car and bicycle show draws admirers

Written by Nancy Gaarder, Omaha World-Herald

The license plates were the first sign that this car show was a bit different. “4GET OIL” “GAS LOL” and “LOVE EV2”. An electric car — and bicycle — show on the campus of Creighton University on Sunday drew a steady flow of viewers. For the most part, it seemed like any other car show: Proud owners chatting with admiring, even envious spectators. Continue reading here.

RELATED READING AND VIEWING

Electric cars make stop at Creighton University, by Steve Saunders, Fox 42 KPTM

OMAHA, Neb. (FOX42KPTM — Dead silence almost makes it hard to believe Ken Deffenbacher’s car is even on. “The maintenance is very low,” he said, “virtually non-existent.” That’s just one of the many reasons why Deffenbacher says he got the all-electric Chevy Bolt. He had his $37,000 car on display at Creighton Sunday. It was all part of the fifth annual National Drive Electric week. Read more here.

Fox 42 KPTM Photo: Nebraskans for Solar board member Ken Deffenbacher and KPTM reporter Steve Saunders

Top Photo: Nebraskans for Solar Board member Jared Friesen shown charging his new Nissan LEAF with the solar generators NFS was able to purchase and lend to schools and other nonprofit groups for public events–thanks to a grant from the Omaha Venture Group.
Credit: David Corbin, Nebraskans for Solar Board member and Nebraska Sierra Club Executive Committee Chair

Click here to view all of David’s photos of the event.
The National Drive Electric Week-Omaha event at Creighton University was sponsored by Nebraska Sierra Club and co-sponsored by Nebraskans for Solar and OPPD. National sponsors – Plug In America, Sierra Club, Electric Auto Association and Nissan LEAF.

OPPD LINKS

OPPD’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Rebate Pilot Program
OPPD Blog, The Wire:

Myth or fact? Electric vehicles

Oglala Lakota lands could host 110 MW-AC of solar

By William Driscoll, PV Magazine

Native American lands have an estimated 61 gigawatts of
economic solar potential.

Oglala Lakota lands could host 110 MW-AC of solar

Nebraska Winnebago Tribe Is Developing Their Renewable Energy Resources

Tour The Winnebago Tribe’s New Solar Farm And More Renewable Energy Sites
Saturday, August 11^th from 11 am to 3 pm or for as long as you want to stay.

Bring your family, a picnic lunch and lawn chairs and join Nebraskans for Solar and Tour Host Robert Byrnes for this unique educational opportunity. Click here for details.

Many thanks to our Green Watts for Good supporters during Omaha Gives!

Forty-two contributors generously donated $3,172 to our Green Watts for Good Fundraising Campaign! At midnight that put us halfway to our goal of raising sufficient funds for a second 4-kilowatt (4000 watts) photovoltaic (PV) system!

Additional Contributions

A generous donation today of $1,000 from the Nebraska Solar Energy Society brings the total amount raised toward the second PV system to $4,172!
NFS also has received pledges from two Nebraska solar energy businesses to donate solar panels for Green Watts for Good projects!

Next Steps

We will use all Green Watts for Good donations to date to leverage matching contributions from local foundations, businesses and individual philanthropists.
We will also work with our partnering nonprofit to finalize plans to install the first 4-kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) system on an Omaha home using the generous donation to our Green Watts for Good Fund made by two local philanthropists on Earth Day.
Organize a “barn-raising” type effort to install the PV system. NFS board members, who include three solar professionals and four with rooftop solar, and other volunteers will “raise” the solar panels, which come with a manufacturer’s warranty to last 25 years.
Celebrate.

Nebraskans for Solar is an all-volunteer nonprofit, and so 100% of all donations go to support our Green Watts for Good Initiative.

Our long-term goal is to create a revolving loan fund to enable homeowners to purchase PV systems and to save money over many years.

If your ecology or sustainability club, faith group, foundation, business or other organization would like to sponsor a solar system for a family in your community, please send us an email: nebraskansforsolar@gmail.com

Thank you from all of us at Nebraskans for Solar!

Photo: Washington State Habitat for Humanity volunteers celebrating a job well done.