Drive on U.S. 77 in southern Lancaster County and you’ll see acres of short, dark columns – the foundation of what will be the largest solar farm in the state, according to the state of Nebraska.
The 304-megawatt Panama Energy Center just east of Hallam is expected to generate $1.4 million in local tax revenue annually. It will be a total of 2,400 acres and is being built in two phases.
Christa Yoakum, chair of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners, said NextEra, the company behind the project, is taking steps to protect the surrounding area.
“We put some conditions on it as far as road use and what kind of plantings happen on the ground to prevent soil erosion, so they’re complying with the contingencies that we put on it,” she said…