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A Big Waitlist WIN

June 1, 2022

Energy Democracy notched an important success in Iowa this year, as the legislature agreed to fund the Iowa solar tax credit waitlist. (solar homeowners: the deadline to apply is June 30th) The Clean Energy Districts …

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Action Alert: Iowa Homeowners Set To Lose Millions In Promised Solar Tax Credits

October 28, 2021

Andy Johnson, Executive DirectorFor years, Iowa homeowners have been told the state’s solar tax credit is available for solar systems installed through 2021. Now it appears the State of Iowa is about to break that …

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Here Comes the Sun: Solar Friendly Ordinances

October 27, 2021

by Joel Zook, WED Energy Planner Joel Zook recently participated in Here Comes the Sun: Solar Friendly Ordinances for communities, a webinar to help communities think through how to best zone for solar. As more …

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Mission Possible: Accelerating Solar 10x In Rural America

October 6, 2021

From Giving CompassPart 4 of a multipart series about Clean Energy Districts. In this article, Jim Osterhaus, Chair of Clayton County Energy District, and Andy Johnson, WED Executive Director discuss the evolution, opportunities, and impact …

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Secret Solar

July 23, 2021

Piper Wood, Green Iowa AmeriCorps Member In 2013, the Winneshiek Energy District featured some solar partners in Decorah that had “hidden solar’ in the community, to bring awareness to the lesser known but highly important …

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February Newsletter Briefs

March 5, 2021

Action Alert: Save Iowa’s Solar Tax Credit; then Stop Natural Gas ProtectionismAndy Johnson, Executive Director Iowa’s solar tax credit has been critical to the growth of locally-owned solar in Winneshiek County and throughout Iowa. Thanks …

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Honey Bees in a Solar Field: A Sweet Combination

February 23, 2021

By Maggie Anderson, Green Iowa AmericorpsJoel Fassbinder, local beekeeper and owner of Highlandville Honey Farm, enhances the newly emerging and exciting environmentally friendly technique of putting pollinator habitat underneath solar arrays, thanks to his honey …

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Solar in 2021

October 27, 2020

by Joel Zook, Energy Planner 2021 is going to be another exciting year for solar. It’s a big deal that federal tax credits have been extended, net-metering laws are in place for Iowa’s investor-owned utilities …

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Webinar: Clean Energy and Conservation

September 30, 2020

Cody Smith, Policy Associate at the Center for Rural Affairs, works on midwest policies that help amplify the positive effects of clean energy.There are many opportunity to combine clean, renewable energy infrastructure with beneficial habitat …

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Iowa’s Net Metering Saga Continues

July 27, 2020

Remember March, before the world turned upside down? It was actually a remarkable month for clean energy in Iowa. The Legislature unanimously passed SF 583, which codified net metering for Iowa’s investor owned utilities until …

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Tax Credits – Not Just Solar

June 24, 2020

by Joel Zook, Energy Planner We’ve talked a lot here at the energy district about the phase out of the solar tax credits, but it’s important to know that there are other tax credits for …

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FERC and the War on Net Metering

June 17, 2020

By Andy Johnson, Executive DirectorThere is growing interest in what’s happening at the FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) around net metering for customer-owned solar. We introduced the topic last issue, and provided a resource page …

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May’s Solar to Storage Webinar

May 21, 2020

By Jim Martin-Schramm The director of Luther College’s Center for Sustainable Communities, Jim Martin-Schramm, presented “Solar to Storage” during the Winneshiek Energy District’s Online Lunch Webinar on Tuesday, May 19. Jim spoke about Luther’s latest …

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It’s Still a Good Time to Go Solar

May 8, 2020

By Joel Zook, Energy Planner These truly are unprecedented times. With the partial shutdown of our economy that is now slowly crawling back, it’s hard to know what the “new normal” will look like. We …

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Net Metering is Iowa Law!

March 26, 2020

Now is a great time to install solar for most farm, home, and business owners in Iowa. After many years of policy battles at the Utilities Board and Legislature, Iowa’s solar advocacy community “? including …

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