The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska recently detailed how it 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, which are located in communities in Colorado, Iowa and Nebraska, are expected to be completed during 2024 and 2025.
Sandhills Energy, the developer of the solar projects, co-hosted groundbreaking ceremonies in the cities of Alliance and Sidney in Nebraska in June 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, MEAN noted.
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.”
MEAN is one of four organizations that make up the NMPP Energy coalition. MEAN is a not-for-profit wholesale power supplier that serves 67 participating communities in four states.
Participating Communities
Nebraska
City of Alliance
Village of Ansley
City of Crete
City of Gering
City of Imperial
Village of Pender
City of Sidney
*Village of Stuart
Colorado
City of Delta
City of Fort Morgan
City of Wray
City of Yuma
Iowa
City of Indianola
*City of Denver
City of Sergeant Bluff
City of Waverly
(*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)
