Briana Burke, Logistics Coordinator, Green Iowa AmeriCorps What can save you money, is good for the environment, creates local jobs, and is the future of energy? Solar panels! While that riddle isn’t too hard to figure out, the process of getting solar panels installed on your home can feel like an overwhelming maze. This past Saturday, over 150 people from the tri-state area took the first steps through the maze
So. I placed a down payment on solar last month. I’m committing to the largest purchase I’ve ever made (not counting my house). I’ve sat on the fence on this decision for some time because I don’t have the greatest location to install solar on my house. My roof faces west not south, and I have a lot of shading from a big old sycamore tree in my back yard.
Iowa House Republicans have introduced a long-awaited bill to kill net metering as we know it in Iowa. The bill was apparently drafted by MidAmerican Energy and will likely be supported by Alliant Energy, as both have aggressively attempted to overturn net metering in the past. Read the details below, and ask your Iowa Representative and Senator for a clear statement in opposition to HSB 185. Attend their weekend listening
Joel Zook, Energy Planner I am taking another hard look at solar panels for my home. My roof is not an ideal site for solar; It faces west and is heavily shaded through most of the morning. I ran the numbers shortly after buying my house and the payback was longer than I was willing to commit to. However, it’s been a few years and prices continue to fall. Additionally,
Earlier month WED Energy Planner Joel Zook met up with journalist Pam Reinig of the Clayton County Register to talk about farm energy: PR: How many farm energy plans have you conducted? JZ: I’ve done about 20 Farm Energy Plans myself, start to finish. But the energy District has helped over 60 farmers complete Farm Energy Plans. I came on midway through the Energy District’s farm program and have helped
Cresco, IA – On a grey morning in Howard County renewable energy advocates from Howard County’s newly formed Energy District illuminated the economic and environmental benefits of Iowa solar tax credits on their March 24th Solar Tour. The group of community leaders and state representative Jane Bloomingdale visited numerous solar sites around Cresco, Iowa. KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports
Two critical Iowa policies that support solar and other renewable energy may be undone in the current legislative session: Net Metering and Tax Credits. You can act now: visit our legislator page, then call or email your state Senator and Representative with two simple messages: 1. Keep Iowa’s solar and clean energy tax credits in place. Together with the federal credits (extended in 2015) they are helping NEIA lead the
If you have installed a solar system recently but not yet sent in your state tax credit application, we suggest you do so immediately. First, talk to your installer to check whether they submitted it for you. If they did not, visit this Iowa Department of Revenue page to learn more. If your system became operational in 2016, you must apply for the tax credit by May 1. There are
We had a great turnout at the The 2015 Farm Solar Workshop! With this level of interest we’ll likely be doing it again in the near future! (We even got great press — check out the articles from both the Cedar Rapids Gazette and Agrinews.) We covered installation options, tax incentives, payback times, and why efficiency should be part of a renewable installation. A group of experts including tax professionals, solar installers,
What’s up with all this talk of “community solar” or a “Winneshiek Shared Solar field”, anyway? We’re glad you asked.