Thank you for supporting Lightsource bp

Dear Editor,

Last Tuesday, July 29th, the Lightsource bp team met with residents of Grant and Perkins County hosting an open house at Meadowlark Gallery for the proposed Golden Plans Solar and Storage Project.

Over 50 community members joined us to chat on the proposed solar and storage project. For three hours on Tuesday, we shared details about our company, and our development process. The

Meadowlark Gallery’s pollinator exhibit made the perfect backdrop as we shared more about our practice of agrivoltaics, the blending of agriculture and energy production primarily through our family-farmer sheep grazing partnerships, pollinator habitats, and beekeeping and discussing dual and multiple uses of the land. (We currently partner with 23 family-owned farms to graze over 20,000 sheep across our sites, maintain acres of pollinator gardens and partner with local beekeepers and always looking for innovative and community-based partnerships.)

We also shared the benefits of the project - Golden Plains is estimated to bring in over $39 million in new tax revenue to Perkins County over its lifetime (about $1 million a year!) This will bring new opportunities for Plainsmen students, support Perkins County Health Services, Mid-Plains Community College and more!

Finally, we answered many questions about the project, and we appreciate the thoughtfulness community members and neighbors of the project brought to us. There were three key topics, that we would like to expand on here that emerged throughout the open house.

Why Perkins County? - Selecting a location for a solar project involves many factors. First, the site must have relatively flat land near a substation or existing infrastructure to connect the energy to the electric grid. Second, there must be a demand for electricity in the area. And third, success depends on having willing landowners and a supportive local community.

Safety- At Lightsource bp, safety is a core value embedded in every stage of our work—from site development and construction to long-term operations. Our commitment to environmental stewardship, fire prevention, and community well-being is central to how we operate and reflects who we are as a company 

Community- The community pride throughout Perkins County is hard to miss and inspiring. We want to be a part of it! We look forward to building stronger relationships and exploring new opportunities to give back to your community through our continued partnership with Lightsource bp. We don’t just want to be in your community, we want to be a part of your community.

Thank you to Meadowlark Gallery for providing us a beautiful and artistic space to share our story at the Open House. Thank you to Little Bluestem for the delicious refreshments and attentive, friendly service. Thank you to Blume Flower Studio for the floral art that highlighted the pollinator exhibit on display.

We’re genuinely excited to return in the coming weeks and to continue working together to deliver a project the community can take pride in.

Lightsource bp Team