Omaha, Nebraska – August 9, 2024
Sandhills Energy is thrilled to announce that eight of our community solar projects across Nebraska have been selected to receive nearly $30 million in loan funding through the USDA’s Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program. The Nebraska community solar projects selected are part of our ongoing collaboration with the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN) to provide renewable energy to 16 municipalities across 15 sites in the Midwest.
PACE program funding, coordinated by USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS), includes a significant loan with a forgiveness component. The loan amount is used to reduce the cost of power, passing all savings on to the rate-payer. In awarding the $30 million in funding, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “Rural communities are the backbone of America, and the Biden-Harris Administration is proud to partner with them to create a more affordable and sustainable future that will benefit rural families, businesses, and the health of our planet for generations to come.” He added that “the project we’re announcing today will create good-paying jobs, lower energy costs for consumers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen the resiliency of our nation’s electric grid.”
Sandhills Energy was also highlighted by RUS Administrator Andrew Berke at the Nebraska Governor’s Ag and Economic Development Summit in Kearney, Nebraska. “The PACE project we are announcing today – and many others to come – reduces costs, creates jobs, and provides new economic opportunities for rural Americans. This gives people in rural America a better chance to succeed and stay in the rural communities they love.”
Construction on these community solar installations began in June with groundbreakings in Alliance and Sidney, Nebraska. As the developer of these solar facilities, Sandhills Energy brings extensive expertise in utility-scale renewable energy to enhance grid resiliency for the participating communities, which include Gering, Imperial, Ansley, Pender, Crete, and Stuart, Nebraska. Our focus on economies of scale allows these communities to benefit from reduced power purchase prices, traditionally available only to larger regional utilities. This ensures that member utilities can provide cost-effective electricity with stable rates for decades to come.
For more information about the PACE program, the USDA Rural Development’s RUS, and our projects across Nebraska, please refer to the USDA’s press release announcing the funding.
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.
Contact/Media Inquiries :
(402) 389-1668 or news@sandhillsenergy.com
1403 Harney Street, Suite 200
Omaha, NE 68102
