Articles Tagged: solar energy

The number of clean energy jobs in Iowa reached a record high in 2024, with more than 33,000 Iowans holding jobs in the clean energy space, surpassing the state’s previous record of 31,910 jobs in 2019.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved NextEra Energy’s request for a waiver allowing the company to move forward with plans to recommission the shuttered Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Palo.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it would restrict the use of federal subsidies for solar energy projects in favor of protecting farmland, but clean energy advocates say solar gives farmers a higher production value per acre than any traditional crop.

Amid federal budget cuts, the U.S. Energy Secretary on Thursday in Iowa provided assurances that the Ames National Laboratory that he was touring will continue to receive financial support but said wind energy production will need to start standing on its own.

Clean energy advocates say Iowa stands to lose jobs and renewable energy project expansions, and that utility bills would increase

Clean energy advocates say Iowa stands to lose jobs, manufacturing facilities, renewable energy project expansions and face more expensive utility bills if Congress passes the budget reconciliation bill as is.

The company says the solar field near Palo is the largest in Iowa.

Thousands of farmers and small rural businesses -- including many in Iowa -- remain in limbo as USDA demands grant rewrites favoring fossil fuels over renewables.

Also, Iowa City schools piloting use of three electric vehicles at City, Liberty and West High School to transport students in the Transition Alliance Program.

NextEra Energy plans to build new solar energy generation project near Center Point.

Duane Arnold Solar IV installation will not involve Alliant Energy, unlike their previous projects.

The Duane Arnold Solar Project is taking shape as about 250 workers a day install panels on more than 800 acres. Alliant Energy, which will own the 200-megawatt site when complete, said the project will be operational by the end of the year.

One-third of Grinnell College’s campus is now running on renewable energy with a new 9,000-panel solar array, the largest private solar installation in the state.

The ISU Electric Power Research Center won a $9.5 million federal grant for the project.

Iowa ranked 27th in the country with its 308 gigawatt-hours of solar in 2022