Temperatures topped 80 degrees last week fueling spring fever still more than a month before school lets out. This time of year anything goes. A foot of snow? Just missed that recently. Rain is more my speed as the lawn greens up and farmers return to the fields. Other days the sun shines though the wind speed may match the high. How could Nebraska do more to harness those elements?
Box Butte County is plugging into our sunny days with a solar farm at Hemingford and another planned west of Alliance. These arrays add to the renewable resources tapped by the state’s public power utilities. Twenty-three percent of Nebraska’s energy consumption came from renewable sources in 2020 with petroleum (25 percent), coal (24), natural gas (21) and nuclear (7) completing the pie, according to the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE). However, solar accounted for just .075 percent overall. Wind powered 8.86 percent while biofuels came in at 11.54 percent. The Cornhusker state has plenty of wide open spaces that could dramatically add to its capacity for solar power and one of the best places for wind potential in the country. Sun and wind are key resources as all three of Nebraska’s public power districts look to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.
Renewable energy is just one factor as our state and the rest of the world grapple with the best approach to climate change. I would like to see more legislation and policies favoring the growth of wind and solar energy. Last month, Nebraska took a major step forward by applying for $3 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to pay for a state climate plan. The NDEE will consider whether to apply for other grants from the act.
I know of a few people locally that have either wind or solar power, yet there should be significant state incentives, beyond what the federal government offers, for landowners who want to contribute to the electrical supply on a larger scale. There is no reason to discourage renewable energy if the option is a choice by residents, municipalities and utilities for everyone’s mutual benefit.
State Senator Tom Brewer, representing Dist. 43 (which includes Dawes, Sheridan and much of north central Nebraska) has advocated for his constituents who he says do not want wind energy projects built in the Sandhills. He has two bills in the current session (LB 255 and 399) that concern renewable energy facilities. LB 255 would prohibit the public power utilities from using eminent domain to take land to build wind and solar projects and thus receive a direct payment federal subsidy. Why should a utility be able to leverage eminent domain for any project? Would the practice be permissible for a gas, coal or nuclear plant? LB 399 would add a state-level public hearing to consider privately-owned renewable energy facilities. I would hope our county boards already seriously weigh residents’ concerns when these projects come under scrutiny at the local level. Hearings were conducted before the Natural Resources Committee in February on both of Brewer’s bills.
Renewable energy can continue to gain momentum even if the Unicameral adopts LB 255 and 399. Our state government should consider opinions in support and opposition. I am confident that a state climate plan would prioritize renewable energy, finding the right people to make it an asset for Nebraska.