Expansion is underway in northeast Grand Island as crews are installing 21,600 panels and 900 inverters for what will become the second-largest solar farm in Nebraska.
The Grand Island Utilities Department is overseeing the project, which is expected to be completed by November 2024. Barring any setbacks, GIUD would commission the farm for full use by December of 2024.
The project comes with a $14 million price tag, but the Inflation Reduction Act will reimburse Grand Island approximately $4 million.
“The direct pay program will net back about 30% of the project total of $14.2 million,” Assistant Utilities Director Lynn Mayhew said. “The 9.9 megawatts of solar energy will do two things for us – it’s going to give us more capacity, and it’s going to provide peaking power during the summer season.”
Once complete, the 9.9 megawatt solar farm will be able to power approximately 10,000 homes while operating at the same cost as coal energy. The farm comes in addition to the one megawatt farm already owned and operated by the city. The combined wattage and power supply for the city means that 20% of the generation output for all of Grand Island will come from renewable energy.
