Expo focuses on solar for farms

Iowa farmers increasingly are installing solar panels to control energy costs and reduce dependence on burning fossil fuels, according to the Decorah Energy District, one of the co-sponsors of a Farm Solar 'How-To” Workshop at 1 p.m. Friday at the Iowa Dairy Center near Calmar.

Presenters will explain how to install a solar system, review tax incentives and payback times, and discuss why farms should incorporate efficiency measures in tandem with renewable installations.

Experts including tax professionals, solar installers, and farmers with solar arrays will answer questions.

With solar thermal panels to heat water, or solar photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, solar is becoming well-suited to many different types of farm operations, and federal and state tax credits make it increasingly affordable, the sponsors said in a news release.

One of the presenters, Dennis Pottratz of Go Solar in Decorah, said Winneshiek County remains a hotbed of solar-generated power.

'Farmers are really starting to jump into it,” he said.

Pottratz said solar is especially attractive to farmers with high energy needs. 'Grain dryers, dairy farms, livestock confinements - they all use a lot of electricity,” he said.

Chuck and Sanna Feldman, who raise corn and soybeans near Cresco, said the 22.8 kilowatt solar array they installed in fall 2013 has dovetailed well with their operation.

'We are so happy with it, we are anticipating adding more,” Sanna Feldman said.

A solar expo featuring local solar installers will immediately follow Friday's workshop.

Other co-sponsors are the Iowa Dairy Center, Northeast Iowa Community College and Luther Center for Sustainable Communities.

To register, which is required, visit www.energydistrict.org or contact Kayla Koether, kayla@energydistrict.org or (563)-880-6873.

The Iowa Dairy Center is about a half mile south of the Northeast Iowa Community College campus.