Wymore Fire Hall hosts forum on renewable energy

BEATRICE - About forty Wymore area residents attended a session Thursday night on renewable energy, hearing from a University of Nebraska expert on trends in the industry.

Gage County Supervisor Don Schuller, who represents that area, organized the meeting at the Wymore Fire Hall meeting room to gauge the level of interest in renewable energy projects such as wind and solar.

John Hay of the University of Nebraska Extension, is an expert in biological systems engineering, specializing in renewable energy and biofuels.
"Nebraska is 40% coal and 23% natural gas and 22% wind, in capacity. But, those are not all running full all of the time. Some are running more, some less. When its not windy, the natural gas might run more. Generation is how much has been used as you get to the end of the year, in total kilowatt hours. In Nebraska, its about 54% coal, about 18% nuclear...that's right now."

A mix of sources is necessary to maintain reliability of electric service. Hay says at any moment, there may be as many as 25 to 27 wind and solar projects being proposed…but that’s not an indicator of how many will be built.

"From a landowner perspective, if I'm thinking about leasing my land for that project, I need to take it seriously, even if it only has a ten-percent chance. Because, if it gets built, that's the letter of the law, that contract. So, I need to take that seriously and treat it like its going to happen, even though it may or may not happen."

Hay says if a utility has in place an agreement to sell the electricity, a project is more likely to reach construction stage.  Gage County is home to part of a wind farm….the NextEra Steele Flats project, which extends from Jefferson County into the southwest part of Gage County around Odell. Small utility solar projects are being studied, though the county has not yet had permit applications filed.

Hay says renewable energy benefits from tax credits. "There are two types of subsidies paid to renewables. There are investment tax credits. Spend the money, get the tax credit instantly. Then there is production tax credit. I build the renewable system and put electricity on the grid. And, for each kilowatt hour I put on the grid, I get a small amount back in a tax credit."

In 2025, a new clean electricity production tax credit will go into effect designed to be more technology neutral. Any electricity source that does not emit carbon dioxide will be able to choose between the investment tax credit and production tax credit.

While thirty states have a renewable energy standard....Nebraska does not.