Linn County to help residents access federal funding for solar installations

During an informational webinar Tuesday, Linn County will release an online dashboard that helps residents navigate funding opportunities for solar installations on their properties.

The Linn County Solar Dashboard, developed by the county’s sustainability department and GIS division, will map where existing solar energy systems are across Linn County. It also will display information about local solar installers and the installation process.

“This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about how you can reduce the economic burden of rising energy costs for homes, small businesses and nonprofits,” Linn County Sustainability Director Tamara Marcus said in a statement.

The dashboard will be released during a webinar at 6 p.m. Tuesday when county staff will lead attendees through funding opportunities and answer audience questions. The dashboard will bundle the breadth of funding opportunities included in the federal Inflation Reduction Act.

For example, the 2022 legislation made homeowners and renters eligible for 30 percent tax credits on the total cost of a solar system. Certain tax-exempt entities, like local governments and nonprofits, can now take advantage of those credits with a direct payment option. Additional credits are offered for domestic material sourcing, for competitive worker wages and for communities historically dependent on fossil fuels.

Solar companies in Eastern Iowa already have reported upticks in local demand for solar projects since the Inflation Reduction Act became law, The Gazette reported earlier this year.

“This webinar opportunity offers another option for Linn County residents to become more environmentally and economically resilient by providing education about the process of ‘going solar,’” Marcus said. “And our new solar dashboard will provide a longer-term resource that residents can access after the webinar.”

Those interested in attending the webinar can register at https://unh.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMof-uoqTwpEtDmuaPhP67ZAR2fSeYFcdUJ#/registration.

Brittney J. Miller is the Energy & Environment Reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com