Sunshine, federal loan to help power rural Nebraska town

The town of about 2,400 people, located 13 miles south of Norfolk, will get a solar plant thanks to a federal loan program.

Bluestem Energy Solutions has been selected to receive $3.6 million to help build a 2-megawatt utility facility.

Bluestem, based in Omaha, is a company engaged in the development, ownership and operation of renewable energy resources.

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

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

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

“It’s a really great opportunity for us,” Fite said.

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

The primary source of electricity in Madison is the Nebraska Public Power District.

According to Will Crane, vice president of Bluestem, the facility will cover approximately 12 acres and will be connected to the local electrical distribution grid.

“All of the energy we generate at this facility will be used in and around Madison,” Crane said. “So, you know, a good chunk of that could go to agriculture, but it could also go to the city itself, or power banks, or schools, or homes.”

Crane said the company hopes to begin construction in the fall and be fully operational by late December.

The mayor said the project will use state-of-the-art solar technology, including a sun tracking system.

Pollinator-friendly native plants will be planted under the rows of solar panels, which will help bees and other pollinators crucial to crops in the region, and will also reduce dust, which will help keep the panels clean, he added.