Announcements

Renewable energy is a hot topic this year.  Yet the system that produces the electricity we all take for granted is complex.  To help provide a context for the moving Nebraska forward in this priority initiative, the NLCV Education Fund is collaborating with State Senator Annette Dubas (District 34) of Fullerton to present a series of briefings for state senators on energy policy.  Senator Dubas said, “I felt the need for senators to have good background about this very technical subject as we attempt to create public policy in a uniquely public power state.  Monthly breakfasts seemed like an efficient way to do this in a strictly informational setting.”  Legislative briefings are paired with seminars for the public and the media in a series called, “The Devil is in the Details”.  Each seminar will be presented in the evening at Hardin Hall on UNL East Campus in Lincoln.

On February 24 Bruce Rew, Vice President of Engineering for Southwest Power Pool presented “Grid 101: Electrical Transmission & Nebraska’s Energy Future”.  Lincoln Electric System, Nebraska Public Power District, and Omaha Public Power District have all joined the Southwest Power Pool as their regional transmission coordinator.  This presentation explained the role of regional transmission in providing electricity, and the special challenges to Nebraska in developing more renewable generation across the state.    The entire lecture is available on line at WEBSITE HERE, and the slides can be downloaded as an Adobe PDF file HERE. 

The schedule for the next seminars for the public, all which
begin at 7:00 pm, is:

March 25    Dan Juhl, President of Juhl Wind, Inc.
                 Community-Based Energy Development (C-BED)

April 29      Katie Marks, Nat’l Conference of State Legislatures
                  Developing state-wide energy policies

May 19       Speaker TBA on Integrating Wind into the System

The NLCV Education Fund applauds Senator Dubas for her initiative and leadership on this subject.  We wish to acknowledge support of the University of Nebraska Rural Initiative and Nebraska Public Power District in making this series possible.