Written by Nathan Olsen · Creative Olsen
It's one thing to photograph a construction site on a single day. It's another to follow a project as enormous as the Panama Energy Center through nearly a year of change—across multiple fields, changing seasons, and some very Nebraska weather.
Solar arrays across the development · Photography: Creative Olsen
NextEra Energy and BCom Solutions approached Creative Olsen to document construction progress at the Panama Energy Center near Lincoln, Nebraska. From November 2025 through October 2026, our crews returned regularly to capture aerial photography and video as the development took shape across multiple parcels of former farmland.
Our assignment was straightforward in concept but substantial in scale: capture the work from above, preserve the details of each visit, and deliver the original photo and video assets to the client's editing teams.
A major energy project across Lancaster County farmland
The Panama Energy Center is a large-scale solar and battery storage development in Lancaster County, near Lincoln. NextEra Energy Resources has described plans for up to 304 megawatts of solar generation and 120 megawatts of battery storage, with an estimated project investment of $598.6 million. These are published project plans and estimates, not a claim about current operating capacity.
The scale is difficult to appreciate from the road. The development extends across multiple massive fields rather than one compact building site. That makes aerial documentation especially useful: it can show how separate sections fit into the larger picture.
Early construction across former farmland · Photography: Creative Olsen
Documenting construction progress from the air
Our crews captured RAW photography and video assets on each documentation visit. Early coverage showed grading, earthmoving and site preparation. Later imagery captured solar arrays spreading across the landscape and the electrical infrastructure taking shape alongside them.
Because different parts of the project were progressing at different times, a single view could never tell the whole story. We worked across the project's multiple fields to build a broader visual record of the work underway.
Earthmoving during site preparation · Photography: Creative Olsen
Site grading and groundwork · Photography: Creative Olsen
A big site, a DJI Inspire 2, and Nebraska winds
Open farmland offers sweeping views, but it also leaves little shelter from the wind. Our team used a DJI Inspire 2 to capture the aerial images and footage throughout the assignment. Its professional imaging capabilities were valuable on a project of this size, while every flight still depended on safe weather and operating conditions.
Winter was the biggest interruption. Cold temperatures and weather restrictions meant our crews completed only one documentation visit during the winter months, rather than maintaining the intended monthly cadence. It's a practical part of long-term drone production in Nebraska: you plan for consistency, but safety determines when you can fly.
Aerial perspective across multiple project fields · Photography: Creative Olsen
Watching the landscape change
One of the most compelling parts of a long-running assignment is seeing the contrast between the early groundwork and the later stages. Where the initial imagery showed open fields and heavy equipment, later aerial views revealed long, repeating rows of solar panels stretching toward the horizon.
Those broad views matter, but so do the details. A closer angle can show the density of the arrays; a straight-down view reveals their layout in a way that's hard to see from ground level. Together, the perspectives help tell a more complete story of construction.
A closer look at the installed solar arrays · Photography: Creative Olsen
Overhead view of solar panel rows · Photography: Creative Olsen
RAW assets for the client's own editing workflow
Creative Olsen's role on this project was content capture, not final editing. After each visit, we turned over the RAW aerial photographs and video assets to the client so their editing teams could process the material for their own needs.
That kind of partnership is useful for organizations with an established communications or production team. They retain control over post-production while relying on an experienced crew to capture professional aerial material on location.
Solar arrays and supporting electrical infrastructure · Photography: Creative Olsen
Why recurring construction drone photography is valuable
Construction progress photography creates a visual record that a single final-day shoot can't provide. For large solar, industrial and infrastructure projects, recurring drone coverage can help teams see how a site changes over time, document milestones, and build a library of imagery for future reporting and communications.
The Panama Energy Center is a good example. Across an assignment spanning November 2025 to October 2026, Creative Olsen captured the development at different stages and delivered the original assets for the client's team to use. The finished collection reflects not just what the site looked like at one moment, but how it evolved.
Construction Progress Drone Video | Panama Energy Center, Nebraska
Construction drone photography in Lincoln, Omaha and across Nebraska
Creative Olsen provides drone videography and aerial photography for construction companies, developers, energy organizations and other commercial clients. Based in Omaha, our crews serve Lincoln, communities across Nebraska and projects throughout the Midwest.
If you're planning a construction project that deserves more than a single set of finished-site photos, contact Creative Olsen to discuss recurring aerial documentation.
