DES MOINES – The Iowa Economic Development Authority announced this week that is will partner with the Iowa Environmental Council to promote the installation of solar power systems in Iowa.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority’s (IEDA) State Energy Office was recently awarded $1.03 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Rooftop Solar Challenge II. This funding allows IEDA and its partners to launch the Iowa Statewide Solar Readiness Initiative, a program aimed at promoting uniform processes and procedures associated with the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems throughout the state.
“Ranked 16th for technical solar potential, Iowa has real potential to generate solar energy as another alternative fuel source,” said Governor Terry E. Branstad. “As a leader in wind energy and renewable fuels, Iowa should be at the front of the pack in implementing programs that encourage the use of solar energy as well.”
The funds will be used to develop tools and resources specifically for use in Iowa and to increase solar awareness. The grant’s objectives include increasing knowledge among communities regarding the benefits of solar PV and the barriers to adoption; providing communities with resources related to planning and zoning; promoting the standardization of net metering and interconnection throughout the state; and identifying and evaluating policy options at the local and state jurisdiction levels to further reduce soft costs of solar installation.
The IEDA is partnering with the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) and the Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) to implement the Iowa Statewide Solar Readiness Initiative over the grant’s 36-month lifecycle. The project will work directly with several local governments who will serve as pilot organizations to implement measures to reduce barriers to solar installation. This includes Floyd County, Linn County and the cities of Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Dubuque. In addition, a minimum of two communities serviced by a municipal electrical utility will participate as pilot cities.
“For some municipal utilities, customer deployment of rooftop solar will be viewed as a logical resource strategy. It stems the flow of cash from the community to pay investment bankers and the owners of transmission lines, central power plants, coal mines, railroads, gas wells and pipelines,” said Bob Haug, the Executive Director of the IAMU. “In any event, reducing the soft costs of solar just makes common sense.”
Ralph Rosenberg, Executive Director of the Iowa Environmental Council added, “Iowa’s success with wind energy development clearly demonstrates the environmental and economic benefits of increasing use of clean energy.”
@4ever49-I think it might be the number of days we have sunlight. Don’t forget all the cloudy days we have here. Solar just doesn’t work very well without sunlight.
Iowa “ranked 16th for technical solar potential”. What is “technical” potential? Anyone?
Not to throw a cold & cloudy blanket over this but I’d like a little more explanation.
And again Cerro Gordo County misses out while throwing money at Harley Davidson and Mercy.