Logo for Winneshiek Energy District featuring a stylized town silhouette, a wind turbine, solar panels, and a radiant yellow sky.

What you need to know about solar in 2020

February 24, 2020

Interested in investing in solar for your home, farm, or business? 2020 is the perfect time to go solar! A combination of low solar costs combined with federal and state tax credits (which are decreasing …

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Logo for Winneshiek Energy District featuring a stylized town silhouette, a wind turbine, solar panels, and a radiant yellow sky.

Net Metering Update

January 29, 2020

Iowa electric customers and communities pursuing locally-owned solar energy could be big winners this legislative session, if a tentative deal between solar advocates and MidAmerican Energy is implemented as intended.The deal would codify two versions …

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Logo for Winneshiek Energy District featuring a stylized town silhouette, a wind turbine, solar panels, and a radiant yellow sky.

Alliant Rate Case Round-up

January 29, 2020

The Iowa Utilities Board has issued a final ruling on the recent Alliant Energy electric rate increase. The Energy District joined the City of Decorah, Luther College, Winneshiek Medical Center, and Aase Haugen Senior Services …

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Logo for Winneshiek Energy District featuring a stylized town silhouette, a wind turbine, solar panels, and a radiant yellow sky.

Five Feet High and Risin’

January 28, 2020

How high’s the water, mama? Two feet high and risin’ How high’s the water, papa? She said it’s two feet high and risin’ We can make it to the road in a homemade boat That’s …

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Logo for Winneshiek Energy District featuring a stylized town silhouette, a wind turbine, solar panels, and a radiant yellow sky.

Iowa Utility Board rules on Alliant rate case

December 31, 2019

The Utilities Board issued its Final Decision and Order and News Release late last week. Below is the initial statement from the Decorah Area Group, of which WED was a key organizer and partner. We …

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Logo for Winneshiek Energy District featuring a stylized town silhouette, a wind turbine, solar panels, and a radiant yellow sky.

Decorah’s Sustainability Committee Releases Draft Sustainability Plan

December 11, 2019

The Winneshiek Energy District recognizes and applauds the process the city is going through to craft a comprehensive sustainability plan. We have been contributing to the energy portion of this plan and believe that this …

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LED Holiday Lights

December 9, 2019

This article is an excerpt from the Department of Energy’s page on LED lighting. We love how it takes into account the longevity of an LED strand and lays out the math of electrical use. …

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Repost: What are municipal utilities and why are they suddenly popular?

November 30, 2019

Can changing who delivers your electricity to you solve a slew of problems? SCOTTY HENDRICKS (A Decorah native!) 26 November 2019 Repost from Bigthink.com Cities and movements across the country are considering running their own …

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Luther Economics Professor Testifies Against Rate Increase

October 31, 2019

The growing energy cost burden impacts everyone from low-income households to small businesses to institutions and communities as a whole. This reality has been central to the Decorah Area Group’s intervention in the ongoing Alliant …

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Logo for Winneshiek Energy District featuring a stylized town silhouette, a wind turbine, solar panels, and a radiant yellow sky.

Resolved: Cities Want a Piece of the Clean Energy Future

October 14, 2019

Andy Johnson, Executive Director, Winneshiek Energy District; Jim Martin-Schramm, Director of Luther College Center for Sustainable Communities At last count, a precedent-setting 55 [updated: 61] city councils and county boards of supervisors in Iowa have …

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Alliant Rate Case Update

October 10, 2019

Alliant is still pushing a 15% increase. Here are the recent developments. On October 3rd, intervenors including the Office of Consumer Advocate, large business, and environmental groups filed a “non-unanimous, partial settlement” proposal with the …

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Rate Case Hearings Started – We are there!

October 1, 2019

Members of the “Decorah Area Group,” a group of citizens and experts from our area who submitted testimony against Alliant’s proposed rate increase, are in Des Moines this week to attend rate case hearings.From left: …

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Watch the Alliant Rate Case Hearings Online

September 27, 2019

Hearings for the Alliant Energy proposed rate increase will be held October 7-10th, 2019 in Des Moines. WED Executive Director Andy Johnson and board member Jim Martin-Schramm will attend as interveners. The public is welcome …

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Logo for Winneshiek Energy District featuring a stylized town silhouette, a wind turbine, solar panels, and a radiant yellow sky.

Tax Credits: Our Take

September 24, 2019

With the potential phase-out of various tax credits, we’re often asked (or we offer) our perspective. Here it is, in brief. Renewable energy tax credits have worked: they have driven the scaling up of the …

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Logo for Winneshiek Energy District featuring a stylized town silhouette, a wind turbine, solar panels, and a radiant yellow sky.

Will The FERC End Net Metering – and Solar Prosperity – Nationwide?

August 27, 2019

What’s At StakeThe end of net metering and local solar prosperity may sound sensationalist, but that appears to be the goal of a new petition filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by the …

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