Sandhills Energy says Gering Solar Project nears completion

The City of Gering’s new solar power production facility is getting closer to becoming operational.

Raphael Martinez with Sandhills Energy told the City Council Monday night that the facility is about 95 percent complete with just a handful of items remaining.

Martinez described some of the remaining items that need to be completed. “This week, we’ll have a new Nebraska state inspection happen at the project. There are some engineering details, I was just talking about it with Domingo (Palomo, Electric Utilities Superintendent), … that we’re working through just a couple pieces that he’s waiting for that will then allow for the project to energize,” said Martinez. “Basically what that means is once it’s energized, it will go through a testing phase from the Sandhills (Energy) side.”

Martinez says that testing period will last 72 hours to ensure the facility is operating as it should and meets the standards for the city and the Western Area Power Agency. He said that will be followed by a request for permission to operate from the city, and finally a certificate of completion.

In response to a question about potential for hail damage, Martinez said it could happen, but the system has tracking technology that can detect storms and place the panels in a vertical position to minimize the impact.

He also noted the system components are American-made, meaning they’re not the least expensive but are of high quality, and testing has shown they perform well in severe weather.