Indianola & Waverly, Iowa – September 27, 2024
On a sun-filled day, Wednesday, September 25, the communities of Indianola and Waverly, Iowa, celebrated a new chapter in renewable energy. Beginning at 10 a.m. in Indianola and continuing with an afternoon event in Waverly, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for two long-anticipated, utility-scale solar developments. These events marked not only a step forward for sustainable energy but also a testament to the power of collaboration between local utilities, Sandhills Energy, the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN), the USDA, and the communities themselves.
An Investment In Iowa
The Indianola and Waverly solar facilities are being developed simultaneously as part of an ongoing, 15-county collaboration between Sandhills Energy and the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN). Executive Vice President of Sandhills Energy, Jake Pole, kicked off each event, talking about how development of these projects began in 2021. “Throughout this long-term development, we’ve seen energy costs, equipment prices, and interest rates increase. However, our team at Sandhills Energy is proud to say that we’ve held the 2021 agreed upon price, turning that cost saving back over to these communities. We estimate the communities of Waverly and Indianola will save a total of eight million dollars over the 25-year contract lifespan. None of this could be done without the phenomenal support from MEAN and the cities involved.”
Brad Hans, MEAN Director of Wholesale Electric Operations, was present to talk about the impact these utility-scale projects have on rural communities. “MEAN was formed in 1981 by a handful of municipalities that wanted their own say in power supply. What you’re seeing here today are local utilities actively involved and pushing to have renewable energy benefiting their community. Sandhills Energy has made it possible for these municipalities to produce solar power on their own local system to get the benefits of these savings.”
Community Support
Management teams from Indianola Municipal Utilities (IMU) and Waverly Utilities (WU) proudly stood alongside their partners to highlight the collective efforts driving these projects. MEAN representatives expressed gratitude to the communities, emphasizing the long-term benefits these solar developments would provide—affordable, reliable, and lasting energy solutions tailored for rural Iowa. Onlookers, including local officials and residents – even a few neighborhood dogs – shared in the excitement of a future powered by renewable energy and built through strong partnerships.
Chris DesPlanques, General Manager at IMU, took the opportunity to highlight how this project featured partnerships across viewpoints, states, and organizations. “It’s not often where two sides, sometimes vocal opposites, can come together. Our new 4.1-megawatt solar array pleases both the ‘I only care about cheap solar power’ and ‘I want clean energy tomorrow’ groups,” he said. “It took the USDA, Sandhills Energy, our team at IMU, and all 16 member communities working together to make this possible. This soon-to-be, state-of-the-art installation is a testament to the collaboration. It’ll produce around 6.1-million kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to power five or six hundred homes for the year.”
Curt Atkins, General Manager at WU, called the facility “a bright prospect for Waverly’s future,” and shared how the community of Waverly values the potential for grid diversification. “As fossil fuel resources become more challenging for the electric industry, WU must continue to diversify its energy portfolio and seek resources that are clean, plentiful, and cost-effective,” he said. “We estimate that WU will more than likely double the number of customers who receive renewable resources to their homes daily, combining our wind and solar energy sources to continue a vision that began decades ago. This large-scale solar array will be a model of what can be accomplished.”
USDA Support
During these groundbreaking events, the USDA awarded PACE Program funding for the Iowa solar projects. Holding the energy price point to a wholesale electric rate for Indianola and Waverly wouldn’t be possible without the support of the USDA. “The involvement of the USDA PACE Program is essential to helping these communities save millions of dollars over the course of the contract,” said Jake Pole. Similar thoughts were shared by Brad Hans, “I want to thank the USDA because all of the communities we serve fell under the rural designation under the USDA, so this was vital to helping get the price point down and get these projects into as many of our communities that were interested.”
Technical Support
Iowa-native Raki Giannakouros, Sandhills Energy Executive VP, identified how important it is to bring utility-scale solar technology and pricing to rural communities, which are often left out of larger solar projects. “Here in Iowa, we’re farmers, and land is precious. We feed the world. We wanted to make sure that we respect the use of this land and get the most efficiency possible out of it,” he said. “There’ll be a whole lot of firsts on this site. Our utility-scale partnership with First Solar allowed us to bring brand-new, thin-film modules, their first with a bi-facial product for better efficiency…We’re really excited to have inverters from Yaskawa Solectria and their XGI offering. It has a 20-year design life. And we’re very proud to offer the first 480-volt solution, ideal for smaller utilities.”
The MEAN Portfolio
Sandhills Energy and MEAN kicked off the 15-site portfolio of solar installations with groundbreakings in Alliance, NE and Sidney, NE in June. Solar facilities in these member communities will account for up to 5% of energy usage by 16 municipalities (listed below).
Colorado: Delta, Fort Morgan, Wray, and Yuma
Iowa: Denver, Indianola, Sergeant Bluff, and Waverly
Nebraska: Alliance, Ansley, Crete, Gering, Imperial, Pender, Sidney, and Stuart
Find Images From The Indianola / Waverly Events
About Sandhills Energy
Sandhills Energy is a renewable energy development company based in Nebraska and Iowa. Focused on commercial and utility generation, Sandhills Energy has extensive experience in project development, from identification to engineering, construction, and operations. Sandhills Energy provides renewable energy development at any scale. Sandhills is well-positioned to work closely with utilities, municipalities, and landowners to accelerate the growth of renewable energy adoption by utilities and farming communities.
About MEAN
The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska is based in Lincoln, Nebraska, and provides wholesale power supply and energy-related services to more than 60 participating communities in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
About Indianola Municipal Utilities (IMU)
Indianola Municipal Utilities (IMU)’s publicly owned utility has served the community for over a century, beginning with electric service in 1890. Our mission is to provide our citizens with reliable and affordable services while providing high-quality customer service and experiences. We are your neighbors and we are here to serve you.
About Waverly Utilities (WU)
Waverly Utilities is an award-winning national leader in electric reliability, safety and renewable energy. In 2016, Waverly Utilities became a telecommunications utility offering gigabit speed internet, enhanced cable and digital telephone services. We are committed to serving Waverly with the same neighborly customer service we’ve been providing since 1904.
Contact/Media Inquiries :
(402) 389-1668 or news@sandhillsenergy.com
1403 Harney Street, Suite 200
Omaha, NE 68102
