Post Author's Photographer By Kristin Eggen January 30, 2023

Rural Solar Prosperity Under Attack In Iowa; Farm Solar Ban ProposedRecent years have witnessed a significant rise of anti-solar activism around Iowa (and the Midwest), and the sentiment is spreading to the Legislature. Efforts are afoot that would effectively ban commercial and utility-scale solar throughout the state, and kill a new rural industry, job-creator, and prosperity engine before it even gets off the ground. SSB 1077would ban solar from most Iowa farms, and kill many if not most utility solar projects.

Here, we feature original and outside content to discuss the issue, explain where the effort to ban solar farming is coming from, and what your legislators need to understand.

As an introduction and discussion, see

  1. The recent guest column in the Des Moines Register,Limiting Solar In Rural Iowa Is A Bad Idea, by MiEnergy CEO Brian Krambeer, and Clean Energy Districts of Iowa Executive Director Andy Johnson, and
  2. A very specific case ofclean energy bringing critical funding to Howard County, in rural northeast Iowa County by Amy Bouska, Chair of the Howard County Energy District (in this case the $$ come from wind, but the funding and prosperity benefits will be similar for solar “¦ if the door isn’t slammed shut by legislators).

Then take a look where the renewables opposition is coming from.Yes, there are rural residents with valid questions and concerns. It is also true, however, that fossil fuel money has very successfully fueled a national anti-renewables movement full of myths and misinformation, hitched itself to the culture wars, and begun to erode the previously strong bipartisan support for renewable energy in Iowa. Rural counties everywhere stand to lose the most.

  1. From Forbes:Fossil-Fuel Funded Opposition Is Blocking America’s Transition. Permitting Reform Can Help.
  2. From NPR:Misinformatin Is Derailing Renewable Energy Projects Across The United States
  3. From Inside Climate News: the seriesSolar Opposites: A Standoff Over Renewable Energy In Rural Americais an excellent a deep dive into a rural Ohio county divided over solar, and includes aspecial look at a Minnesota Countywhere major solar developments have disproven the naysayers.

Help your legislator understandthat the door must remain open to solar at all scales throughout all of Iowa. Rural prosperity is at stake in every single county “? and yes, a rapid transition to renewable energy is the right thing to do for climate stewardship and our kid’s future as well. Any effort to prohibit solar farming on “prime farmland” or related to “corn suitability rating” is a poison pill, as is any “setback” from dwellings or ROWs significantly higher than the best practice of 150 feet.

  1. Refer them to the aforementioned guest column in the Des Moines Register,Limiting Solar In Rural Iowa Is A Bad Idea,which includes the important perspective of a Rural Electric Cooperative
  2. The Great Plains Institute articleThe True Land Footprint Of Solar Energyis excellent, and includes many resources including aModel Solar Ordinance for Iowafull of sound, common-sense guidance
  3. Iowa legislators may not be inclined to follow their peers in Illinois at every turn, butNPR Illinois explains how a bill awaiting the Governor’s signature could set statewide standards that balance interests, keep the door open for renewable energy at all scales, and support the growth of rural clean energy prosperity for the foreseeable future.

Person with short hair and glasses smiles in front of a sign that reads “INNESHEK ENERGY PROJECT” with a building silhouette and sunburst in the background.

Kristin Eggen

Kristin Eggen first came to the Winneshiek Energy District as a Green Iowa AmeriCorps member in 2015. Eight years later, she is thrilled to lead the grassroots clean energy movement in Winneshiek County. Kristin deeply appreciates rural communities, Northeast Iowa, community sustainability, and nonprofit management. She uses The Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter methodology and graphic recording services to drive strategic conversations around community sustainability, justice, fundraising, and nonprofit health.

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