Greensburg, Kansas: Town with Big Solar Ambitions

9 min readDec 13, 2023

Nestled deep within the sun-soaked plains of Kansas, the town of Greensburg stands as a vivid tableau of solar ambitions writ large against a canvas of renewal. After being almost completely decimated by a tornado in 2007, Greensburg seized the twister’s grim legacy, transforming it into a beacon of sustainability, reaching toward the sun to harness its abundant energy. In a bold stride, the local government, in concert with the community, catalyzed this transformation by reconstructing Greensburg as a model green town — a symphony of eco-smart design and cutting-edge energy solutions.

Here, amidst the rolling fields where wind and sun are constant companions, Greensburg’s trajectory towards solar innovation is not only sown into its geographical blessings but is also interwoven with staunch civic commitment. The local legislature has adeptly streamlined renewable policies, enabling residents and businesses alike to contribute photovoltaically to the town’s power grid. This involvement has been pivotal, forging a community-driven charge into the future of energy.

With Kansas legislation that adapts to and encourages renewable energy growth, coupled with a climate that unfurls an average of 225 days of sun each year, Greensburg is uniquely equipped to cultivate an abundance of solar energy, setting a spirited example for towns across the nation.

Overview of Greensburg

Greensburg, Kansas, a city with a name that eerily foreshadows its destiny, has become a beacon of sustainability after a devastating EF5 tornado obliterated the town in 2007. This catastrophe catalyzed a transformative movement to rebuild Greensburg as a model green community. With a renewed urban landscape, Greensburg’s energy demands are spearheaded by eco-conscious principles and a commitment to renewable resources, particularly solar power, given Kansas’s generous sun-soaked days which average around 2,500 hours of sunshine annually.

Before the storm, Greensburg’s energy infrastructure was unremarkable, reliant on the conventional grid with standard energy policies in place. Post-tornado, however, Greensburg adopted a pioneering resolution mandating all city buildings to follow the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum standards, a stringent measure by any account. This ambitious stride forward integrated the extensive use of solar panels to saturate the city’s energy grid with clean, renewable power. To incentivize solar installation, Kansas offers property tax exemptions on the value added to a property by solar panel systems, and net metering policies which significantly lower utility bills, practically sunbathing the residents in both photons and fiscal benefits. Thus, against a backdrop of law, regulations, and advantageous climate, Greensburg, Kansas has metamorphosed into an exemplar of solar utilization, demonstrating what communal resilience and forward-thinking environmental policy can achieve.

Solar Landscape

Surging from the ruins of a devastating tornado in 2007, Greensburg, Kansas, a verdant phoenix, has embraced solar energy vehemently, striving to redefine its identity as a sustainable eco-haven. The Greensburg Wind Farm, an electrifying ensemble of ten 1.25 MW turbines, dances to the tune of Kansas’s robust winds, but it’s the sun’s prowess here that’s truly scintillating. The city’s 100% renewable energy goal has propelled a solar revolution. Solar panels gallantly perch upon the GreenTown’s Silo Eco-Home, the 5.4 kW solar array on the Greensburg Business Incubator and the LEED-platinum awarded Kiowa County Memorial Hospital perspicuously gleam as testaments to Greensburg’s solar fervor.

Innovatively synergistic, Kansas’s High Plains sunshine coupled with tactful city ordinances and the Sustainable Comprehensive Plan ensures Greensburg’s solar installations are as seamless as they are prolific. Recent installations are tantalizingly promising with the city’s community solar garden initiative unfurling solar power’s communal embrace, not to mention exciting public-private solar partnerships that are seducing local businesses. Greensburg’s solar capacity swells with each installation, reducing the ecological footprint with a silent yet radiant intensity. It is this milieu of tenacity and green energy entrepreneurship that positions Greensburg not only as a beacon in Kansas but as a national exemplar for community-driven solar integration.

Local Policies and Incentives

Within the whirlwind of Greensburg, Kansas, an ecologically transformative agenda gleams brighter than the rest, particularly when analyzing solar energy adoption. After the 2007 tornado razed Greensburg to the ground, the town resurrected itself as a phoenix of sustainability, embedding green initiatives into its recovery plan, which also encompassed solar energy. The local government, in an act of prescient environmental stewardship, has actively embraced solar installations, weaving solar readiness into building codes and offering property tax exemptions for renewable energy installations, including those sprawling fields of solar panels.

Kansas state policy further underpins solar adoption in Greensburg. The Sunflower State’s Net Metering and Easy Connection Act, designed to enable a smoother glide path for residential and commercial solar integration, has rippled out to empower Greensburg’s residents. This legislation allows excess generated power to be sent back to the grid, crediting the user’s account and effectively causing the electric meter to spin in reverse, harvesting both sunlight and savings.

Moreover, the Kansas Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing unlocks a treasure trove of opportunities, its advantageous terms coaxing property owners to lean into solar without the intimidation of upfront costs. Community-based programs, such as Greensburg GreenTown, a non-profit, spill over with resourceful activism, spotlighting solar benefits and catalyzing a ripple effect of renewable energy embracement across the windswept Kansas plains.

Challenges and Innovative Solutions

In the wake of the devastating EF5 tornado that reshaped Greensburg, Kansas, this community has valiantly seized the opportunity to rebuild with resilience and sustainability at its core, making it an emblem of green reconstruction. Nevertheless, the path to a solar-powered renaissance has not been devoid of hurdles. Funding, for instance, looms as a formidable barrier, as the upfront costs of solar installations are steep. To mitigate this financial strain, Greensburg has leaned heavily on federal and state incentives, such as the Kansas Corporation Commission grants and Federal Investment Tax Credits, which have been pivotal in defraying initial expenses.

Moreover, expertise in the deployment of solar technologies was scarcely found locally post-disaster. Greensburg addressed this conundrum by fostering partnerships with external green technology experts and organizations. Notably, collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provided invaluable insights into the intricacies of renewable energy implementations.

In a climatic masterstroke, Greensburg’s utilization of dual-axis tracking solar panels is an innovative affirmation of its commitment to efficiency. Tailored to harness Kansas’s robust sunshine, these tracking systems pivot to follow the sun’s trajectory, maximizing energy capture and thus amplifying the yield per panel. Such avant-garde solutions assure not just a restitution of what was lost, but a forward-looking beacon of sustainable urban living.

Economic and Environmental Impact

Solar energy deployment in Greensburg, Kansas unleashes a torrent of economic vitality alongside its whirlwind of environmental rejuvenation. This small town, once leveled by a tornado, has reimagined itself as a model green community, with renewable energy at its core. The economic winds have shifted favorably since their robust embrace of solar panels, with tangible upsurges in job creation in the clean energy sector. Tradespeople, engineers, and retailers have ridden the solar surge, contributing to a local economic resurgence. Indeed, the investment in solar technology kindles not only kilowatts but also cash flow, as businesses and households bask in the reduction of energy expenses, potentially diverting these savings to further stimulate local commerce.

Touching upon sustainability, Greensburg’s leap to solar is a testament to its environmental sagacity. By adopting 100% renewable energy for city power needs, the town has significantly diminished its carbon footprint, aligning with Kansas’ Renewable Portfolio Standard which seeks 20% energy production from renewable sources by 2020. The installation of solar arrays on homes, businesses, and public buildings substantiates a decline in greenhouse gas emissions and plays a pivotal role in promoting a circular economy — where the conservation of resources paves the way for enduring community resilience. Thus, Greensburg, Kansas, stands as a beacon of sustainable progress, concurrently bolstering its economy and safeguarding its environment in a synergistic tango of green renaissance.

Community Engagement and Education

Engaging the tight-knit community of Greensburg, Kansas, with solar energy has revolved around transforming tragedy into innovation. After a devastating tornado in 2007, Greensburg rose from the debris with a sustainable vision, rebuilding itself as a “green” town — a living example of community-wide commitment to renewable energy. Educational initiatives are cornerstones in this eco-renaissance. The Greensburg GreenTown nonprofit serves as a beacon of solar advocacy, educating locals and visitors alike through tours demonstrating solar installations on homes and businesses, including the LEED-certified City Hall, which sports a prolific solar array, showcasing a direct form of sun-to-electricity alchemy.

Kansas state laws and regulations favor net metering and easements for solar power, which Greensburg’s community capitalizes on through various programs. For instance, the local school, equipped with an impressive solar system, routinely opens its doors for interactive solar learning experiences, bringing in state-of-the-art solar demonstrations to ignite student interest in renewable technologies. This education extends beyond the classroom, with initiatives like the annual “Greensburg GreenFest,” which magnetizes solar enthusiasts, local craftsmen, and curious citizens into immersive workshops, putting practical solar applications on display, from grid-tied setups to solar-powered water pumps swirling life into community gardens. There’s no denying it — Greensburg’s embracement of solar is a radiant exemplar for cities nationwide, turning heads with its sun-lit commitment to community and sustainability.

Future Outlook

Greensburg, Kansas, with its whirlwind past shaping a rebirth in sustainable thinking, has turned its gaze towards a future emblazoned by the sun. After being levelled by a tornado in 2007, this town vowed to rebuild ‘green’, and solar energy is the radiant cornerstone of this pledge. Imaginations run wild as the community envisions solar arrays on every rooftop, seamlessly integrated into the architecture of rebirth — a quilt of photovoltaic panels soaking up the relentless Kansas sun.

The state’s RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standards) targets, though voluntary, set the tempo for an evocative solar narrative, which Greensburg is keen to champion. Solar investment here is more than it appears; it is hope crystallized in silicon and glass. Community aspirations are pieced together like a circuit board — a future grid resilient, decentralized, and as community-owned as the very soil it stands on.

Already a beacon of energy efficiency, Greensburg flirts with the concept of becoming a net-zero community, where the total amount of energy used annually is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on-site. The practicability of this goal surges as solar technology prices nosedive, matched inversely by their efficiency. The town is not merely content with the status quo; they’re pioneers, trailblazing towards 100% renewable, with solar energy as the chariot. The sun hasn’t set; it’s only just dawned on Greensburg’s solar saga, and the chapters to come shimmer with promise.

Conclusion

Amidst the spiraling tendrils of renewables, small towns like Greensburg, Kansas, are not just on the fringes of the spectacular solar revolution; they’re elbow-deep, reconstructing the meant-to-be from their very foundations. Post-tornado Greensburg spectacularly metamorphosed into a beacon of clean energy reliance, with its masterstroke resolution to rebuild their community with sustainability cradled at its core. This commitment catapulted them into the heart of a green limelight, driven under Kansas’s net metering policies, allowing excess solar power to flow back into the grid, turning homeowners into mini-power managers. Kansas’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), aiming for 20% energy from renewable sources, was outperformed by Greensburg, shooting solar ambitions through the stratosphere. The town’s stride into solar symbiosis isn’t a solely altruistic leap; it’s laced with economic pragmatism. Solar, in this transformative hive, became more than panels; it became a mantra — slashing utility bills, and forging energy independence in a swirl of photovoltaic efficacy. As Greensburg skirts and dances with the cutting edge of renewable integration, it emits a clarion call to other small towns. The mantra is clear: embrace the solar array; entwine sustainability into your reconstruction DNA — the return on investment is brighter than the sunniest Kansas day.