City Pursues Solar Option

The Sidney City Council approved pursuing a contract to support solar energy generation in the community.

If a solar field is established, Sidney's electricity superintendent Mike Palmer said, it won't affect the cost to the city much. Solar production is only about 5 percent of the energy purchased by Sidney.

“No matter what we do, it's not going to be a big windfall,” he said.

The concept was first brought before the council Dec. 14, 2021. MEAN (Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska), the wholesale electricity provider for Sidney, approved a policy that allows communities to have renewable res...