Sunshine, federal loan to help power a rural Nebraska city - Omaha World-Herald

Sunshine, federal loan to help power a rural Nebraska city

Sunshine and a federal loan will help power the city of Madison, Nebraska, officials announced Wednesday.

The city of about 2,400 people, 13 miles south of Norfolk, will be getting a solar energy facility with the aid of a federal loan program.

Bluestem Energy Solutions has been selected to receive approximately $3.6 million to help build the 2-megawatt community facility.

Headquartered in Omaha, Bluestem is a developer, owner and operator of renewable energy resources.

The money will come from the federal government’s Powering Affordable Clean Energy Program.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday that the department is partnering with rural Americans on hundreds of clean energy projects to lower energy bills, expand access to clean energy and create jobs for U.S. farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers.

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Madison Mayor Robert Fite said the project will provide up to 7% of the community’s electricity needs, enough for about 300 homes.

“For us, it’s a really great deal,” Fite said.

“When people drive into Madison and see a state-of-the-art solar project, they’re going to see Madison as a city to invest in,” Fite said. “They’re going to go back to their communities and push for projects like this.”

Madison’s primary electricity source is the Nebraska Public Power District.

The facility will occupy about 12 acres and connect into the local electrical distribution system, according to Will Crane, Bluestem vice president.

“All the power that we generate from this facility is going to be used in Madison and the surrounding area,” Crane said. “So you know, a fair amount of it could go to agricultural purposes, but it could also go to the city itself and power banks or schools or homes.”

The company hopes to start construction in the fall and have it fully operational by late December, Crane said.

The project will use the latest solar technology, including a tracking system that follows the sun, the mayor said.

Native plants friendly to pollinators will be planted beneath the rows of solar panels, helping bees and other pollinators critical to crops in the region, as well as keeping down dust to help keep the panels clean, he said.

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joe.dejka@owh.com, 402-444-1077