South Sioux City is hoping to increase the amount of local electricity generated by solar power.
City Administrator Lance Hedquist says South Sioux currently has 1200 solar panels providing a small part of the city’s electricity:
OC…energy needs. :14
The solar panels are owned by Tesla, and the city purchases the electricity from them.
Hedquist says a large storage battery that can store 1.5 megawatts of power will soon be installed at the solar panel site:
OC……….electrical costs down. :20
The battery from NextEra Energy, a Florida company, is expensive, costing around $1.8 million dollars.
One-third of that is being paid for with federal dollars and the state of Nebraska is paying another $600,000.
Hedquist says the battery will help save the city money:
OC…….in the community. :16
He says the battery should be installed later in the year.
