The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) is facilitating collaborative community solar energy projects with Omaha, Neb.,-based Sandhills Energy for 16 communities that are served wholesale power supply by MEAN. The projects, located in 15 communities in Colorado, Iowa and Nebraska, are expected to be completed during 2024 and 2025.
Sandhills Energy, the developer of the solar projects, is co-hosting groundbreaking ceremonies in the cities of Alliance (June 17) and Sidney (June 18) in Nebraska to kick off the construction period.
MEAN awarded a joint Request for Proposal to Sandhills Energy in 2021 on behalf of its interested wholesale power participant communities. The combined energy capacity output of the projects is 21.3 megawatts. Each participating community is contracting for energy output for their respective projects through power purchase agreements with Sandhills Energy.
By issuing a joint-RFP on behalf of the participating communities, lower costs can be achieved through economies of scale. The energy produced by each community’s solar project will be used to offset a portion of their wholesale power supply through MEAN.
“As a member-driven organization, MEAN is pleased to be able to facilitate these community solar projects for our interested wholesale power participant communities," said Bob Poehling, executive director of MEAN. "These projects align with MEAN’s 2050 carbon neutral vision, which was earlier approved and being guided by the MEAN Board of Directors.”
In addition to facilitating the community solar projects, MEAN as an organization also approved power purchase agreements with Sandhills Energy for 12.7 megawatts of energy at four of the community solar project sites: Alliance, Gering and Sidney in Nebraska and Yuma, Colo.
“MEAN has a long and successful history of working together with our wholesale power member communities in securing power supply,” said Poehling. “This is an example of MEAN’s participating communities balancing the desire to add local renewable energy while also benefiting from having economical long-term power supply.”
Participating Communities:
Nebraska
City of Alliance......................... 2,400 Kilowatts (MEAN contracted solar – 5,400 kW)
Village of Ansley...................... 120 Kilowatts
City of Crete............................ 1,600 Kilowatts
City of Gering........................... 1,112 Kilowatts (MEAN contracted solar – 2,888 kW)
City of Imperial........................ 525 Kilowatts
Village of Pender..................... 350 Kilowatts
City of Sidney........................... 1,600 Kilowatts (MEAN contracted solar – 2,200 kW)
*Village of Stuart...................... 150 Kilowatts
Colorado
City of Delta............................. 875 Kilowatts
City of Fort Morgan.................. 3,800 Kilowatts
City of Wray............................. 350 Kilowatts
City of Yuma............................ 500 Kilowatts (MEAN contracted solar – 2,300 kW)
Iowa
City of Indianola....................... 3,400 Kilowatts
*City of Denver........................ 375 Kilowatts
City of Sergeant Bluff............... 600 Kilowatts
City of Waverly........................ 3,600 Kilowatts
(*Stuart, Neb., is sharing its project site with Denver, Iowa)
Total Community Solar............ 21,357 Kilowatts (21.357 megawatts)
Total MEAN Solar..................... 12,788 Kilowatts (12.7 megawatts)