By Maddie Ames 
, Reporter
July 30, 2026, 6 a.m. ·
The state’s largest solar farm – the 304-megawatt Panama Energy Center – is being built in Lancaster County.
So, to Lancaster County Commissioner Chelsea Johnson, it made sense to implement solar power for county buildings.
The county heard critiques about the Panama solar farm – and the lack of solar in Lincoln, according to Johnson.
“We should have more solar here within the city. So I think it's important to demonstrate that,” Johnson said.
With that in mind, Johnson worked with the city of Grand Island – which also added a solar project to a municipal building – and its consultants to do a preliminary analysis of Lancaster County buildings. From there, they determined four sites that would be suitable options for solar.
One of those was the Lancaster County Youth Services Center in southwest Lincoln. Youth Services is one of Lincoln’s juvenile detention centers.
Johnson said it’s estimated that the county pays around $100,000 each year in electricity bills for the facility. She’s hoping to bring those costs down through solar power with the help of the Investment Tax Credit through the IRS.
That incentive deducts a specific percentage of renewable energy project expenses from federal taxes. In the past, those credits were only available to tax-liable entities. However, Congress changed that requirement a couple of years ago to allow municipalities, like Lancaster County, the ability to get that tax credit.
Johnson anticipates receiving 30% to 40% reimbursement of installation costs within a seven to 10 year payback period.
Since Lancaster County isn’t tax-liable, that means it’ll get a check during that payback period.
“It really is a cost savings measure for the county, with a payback period of between seven and 10 years, depending on that final cost of the project and what we end up getting back in direct payment, the rest of that is just savings. So that's money that we don't have to spend out of our property tax,” Johnson told Nebraska Public Media News.
To receive the tax credit, Lancaster County will need to have the solar panels in service by the end of 2027.
She asked for the county to invest $1 million of the county’s excess funds for continued analysis and project execution. The board supported that transfer at a Lancaster County board staff meeting on July 23.
Commissioner Rick Vest brought up a previous point from Johnson, noting that constituents have asked why the county doesn’t use solar.
“One of the things I did hear when you do solar projects, is you think solar is great, why don’t we put it…but it’s been brought up that we should do this ourselves,” Vest said.
Moving forward, consultants will determine the structural needs of the site and the full size and scale of the project, according to Johnson.
Get the latest from around Nebraska delivered to your inbox
Connecting Nebraska through PBS, NPR and original content since 1954. Engaging Nebraskans through television, radio, online and mobile platforms.
Your support is essential!
