Save the Date! Nebraskans for Solar’s June Event
"Solar & Storage For Farms, Homes,
Businesses & Municipalities"
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Our speakers will be Eric Moyer, Director of Sales and Marketing at SWT Energy, and Graham Christensen, owner of GC ReVOLT.
Their discussions will include:
- brief descriptions of the companies
- the types of services and products they offer
- available incentives & grants
- business depreciation of the solar equipment
- photo tour of projects, large and small
Moderator: Leo Arens, Nebraskans for Solar President
Q&A Facilitator: Brenda Moskovits, Nebraskans for Solar Co President-Elect. Email your questions to Brenda at: brenmosk@gmail.com
Please join us on Zoom using this link:
Meeting ID: 873 8895 0154
Passcode: 836400
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Energize! Virtual Series Sponsored by First-Plymouth Church Climate Action Team: Part 2
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June 17 at 6 pm
Would you like to reduce carbon emissions and reduce energy costs for your home, small business, or small rental properties, but aren’t sure where to begin? The event organizer's expert presenter will outline the steps that provide the greatest benefits, and how to get started with some specific steps, such as adding solar panels, adding a heat pump, or buying an electric vehicle.
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Marc Shkolnick, Energy Services Manager for Lincoln Electric System, uses an interactive Jeopardy-style game to help audience members sort out their smartest energy moves. Grab your smartphone to play from home, or just follow along on this fun educational experience. Marc’s presentation is for all electricity consumers and not specific to LES. Click here for the Zoom link.
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Across the country, people of faith are making changes in their homes and places of worship to prevent global warming through Interfaith Power & Light's Cool Congregations program. The stewardship program helps congregations reduce the carbon footprint of their facilities and engages their members in reducing their carbon footprint at home. Click here to learn more.
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s website and newsletter, STEM Rising, provide a wide range of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) news and resources. Visit the STEM Rising website to learn more about this program and to subscribe to the newsletter. The following resources on careers in green building are among those in the latest issue:
Free Virtual Event for High School Girls Interested in Technology June 27-30: GirlCon is an event for high school girls organized entirely by students for the fourth year running. Click here to read more.
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The Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors named Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Javier Fernandez as the utility’s next President and Chief Executive Officer. Timothy J. Burke announced in March that he will retire at the beginning of July. Fernandez will assume the role July 1. “I’m humbled, and I am honored,” Fernandez said. “I care about this organization because I know the amazing things we’re already doing, the plans we have. It’s exciting,” he said.
The board also voted to add the following language to Strategic Directive 7, Environmental Stewardship: "The OPPD Board of Directors recognizes the scientific consensus that climate change is occurring and that greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide, from human activity contribute to climate change impacts."
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OPPD’s 81-Megawatt Platteview Solar Farm |
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There will be a solar farm constructed in Saunders County. Despite earlier this month when the county’s planning commission voted 5-1 against a conditional use permit for the project. The county board of supervisors trumped the planning commission’s decisions. It was a 6-0 vote. Community Energy and OPPD made their case saying the project meets the county’s zoning and legal requirements. Officials say the solar farm is safe, good for the environment, and will create jobs and produce millions of dollars in tax revenue for the county. Photo Credit: Community Energy
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In each newsletter we feature a question and answer about renewable energy and related issues. Please send your questions to nebraskansforsolar@gmail.com
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Q: How many acres of land will OPPD’s Platteview Solar Farm require?
Saunders County is 486,400 acres of ground. The proposed project would impact approximately 500 acres. Farm ground used for solar projects does not necessarily mean the end of agricultural use on the land. It will be different than traditional crops, but a robust pollinator program can benefit not only the project properties, but cropland, orchards, residential gardens, trees and other landscaping within 30 miles of the project site.
Additionally, the traditional agricultural nature of the property is not permanently lost. The benefits of restorative vegetation on nitrogen and CO2 depleted land improves agricultural land for the future. Solar projects are a long term, but temporary, use of agricultural land that allows landowners to diversify their assets, creating financial stability and allowing agricultural land to remain in families for future generations.
Click here for more about land use and utility-scale solar.
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Burt County Solar-Plus-Storage Project
Burt County Public Power District in partnership with Bluestem Energy Solutions has completed a project that features a 1.4 MWAC solar array and a 6 MWh Tesla Megapack battery storage system across two sites. The solar-plus-storage project is one of the first installations in the Midwest to feature Tesla Megapack. The project is also the first solar and utility-scale battery storage system to be built in tandem in Nebraska. Developed by Bluestem Energy Solutions and constructed by Boyd Jones Construction Company, the project is now operational in Burt County Public Power District’s service territory.
Click here to read the full news release.
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The White House Briefing Room |
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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Amends Nebraska
Disaster Declaration, May 27, 2021
Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. made additional disaster assistance available to the State of Nebraska by authorizing an increase in the level of Federal funding for Public Assistance projects undertaken in the State of Nebraska as a result of a severe winter storm, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of March 9 to July 14, 2019.
Photo by Herschel Talley / Nebraska National Guard: Flooded Camp Ashland is seen in this aerial photo taken in Ashland, Nebraska on March 17, 2019.
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Renewable Energy Jobs & Resources |
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Google Search
An additional search strategy is to check for jobs listings on the websites of solar and wind energy companies that have installed renewable energy projects in Nebraska.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Resources
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Thank you for all you are doing to advance renewable energy in our state!
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