Solar power in Nebraska explained

Solar power in Nebraska is used for only a very small percentage of the state's electricity, although it is rapidly becoming competitive with grid electricity, due to the decrease in cost and the 30% tax credit, which can be used to install systems of any size. In 2024, the state ranked 44th among the 50 U.S. states with 203 MW of installed capacity.[1]

Solar power and wind power could be harvested to provide all of Nebraska's energy need, although they would require either transmission lines to provide power when neither is available or storage. Estimates show that Nebraska could generate 3,832,600 GWh/year from wind,[2] and 34.1% of demand from rooftop solar panels, using 8,200 MW of solar panels.[3]

Utility installations

Nebraska had seven utility-scale solar installations sized larger than 1.0 MW at the end of 2019.[4] These include a 5.8 MW system in Kearney and a 3.6 MW system in Lexington; both commissioned in 2017.[5] A 3.6 MW community solar plant on the west side of Lincoln was to be finished in 2016.[6]

Statistics

ImageSize = width:420 height:240PlotArea = width:350 height:150 left:40 bottom:40AlignBars = late

DateFormat = x.yPeriod = from:0 till:6.5TimeAxis = orientation:verticalScaleMajor = unit:month increment:1 start:0

TextData = pos:(15,220) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:hrs pos:(205,25) textcolor:black fontsize:S text:Month pos:(90,230) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:Grand Island Sun hours/day (avg = 5.29 hrs/day)

Colors = id:yellow value:yellow

PlotData= width:20 textcolor:black bar:Jan color:yellow from:0 till:4.24 text:4.24 shift:(-10,60) bar:Feb color:yellow from:0 till:4.76 text:4.76 shift:(-10,65) bar:Mar color:yellow from:0 till:5.34 text:5.34 shift:(-10,70) bar:Apr color:yellow from:0 till:5.78 text:5.78 shift:(-10,75) bar:May color:yellow from:0 till:5.76 text:5.76 shift:(-10,75) bar:Jun color:yellow from:0 till:6.16 text:6.16 shift:(-10,80) bar:Jul color:yellow from:0 till:6.27 text:6.27 shift:(-10,80) bar:Aug color:yellow from:0 till:6.25 text:6.25 shift:(-10,80) bar:Sep color:yellow from:0 till:5.70 text:5.70 shift:(-10,75) bar:Oct color:yellow from:0 till:5.24 text:5.24 shift:(-10,70) bar:Nov color:yellow from:0 till:4.20 text:4.20 shift:(-10,55) bar:Dec color:yellow from:0 till:3.76 text:3.76 shift:(-10,50)

Source: NREL[7]

Grid-connected PV capacity (MW)[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
YearCapacityChange% Change
2010 0.2 0.2 >100%
2011 0.3 0.1 50%
2012 0.4 0.1 33%
2013 0.6 0.2 50%
2014 0.8 0.2 33%
2015 1.1 0.3 37%
2016 14.2 13.1 1190%
2017 35.2 21.0 148%
2018 43.2 8.0 23%
2019 55.2 12.0 28%
2020 63.0 7.8 14%
2021 73.6 10.6 %
2022 83 9.4 %
Utility-scale solar generation in Nebraska (GWh)[13]
YearTotalJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2016 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
2017 15 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
2018 27 1 2 2 3 3 3 4 3 2 2 1 1
2019 31 1 1 2 3 4 4 4 4 3 2 1 2
2020 55 2 4 4 6 6 7 7 6 5 3 3 2
2021 57 3 3 5 6 6 6 6 6 5 4 4 3

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nebraska Solar SEIA . 2024-07-12 . www.seia.org . en.
  2. http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/pdfs/wind_maps/wind_potential.pdf Estimates of Windy Land Area and Wind Energy Potential, by State
  3. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/65586.pdf Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the United States
  4. Web site: Form EIA-860 detailed data with previous form data (EIA-860A/860B) . 15 September 2020 . . eia.gov . https://web.archive.org/web/20200918022441/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860/ . 18 September 2020 . live.
  5. https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/39937-How-Lexington-Nebraska-Became-Home-to-the-Second-Largest-Solar-Farm-in-the-State Solar Energy Generation in Nebraska
  6. http://netnebraska.org/article/news/1026860/solar-power-rise-nebraska Solar power on the rise in Nebraska
  7. Web site: PV Watts. NREL. 18 May 2012.
  8. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011. 17. Sherwood, Larry. Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). August 2012. 2012-08-16. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120906231846/http://www.irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/IRECSolarMarketTrends-2012-web.pdf. 2012-09-06.
  9. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008 . Sherwood . Larry . Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) . July 2009 . 16 . 2010-07-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091123030109/http://www.irecusa.org/fileadmin/user_upload/NationalOutreachDocs/SolarTrendsReports/IREC_Solar_Market_Trends_Report_2008.pdf . 2009-11-23 .
  10. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012 . Sherwood . Larry . Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) . July 2012 . 16 . 2013-10-11.
  11. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013. Sherwood, Larry. Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). July 2014. 2014-09-26.
  12. https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/nebraska-solar Nebraska Solar
  13. Web site: Electricity Data Browser. U.S. Department of Energy. March 28, 2018. October 17, 2021.