Fareway, Alliant partner on solar field

Fareway Stores Inc. and Alliant Energy broke ground this week on a 1-megawatt solar field that will be built in the Boone Industrial Park adjacent to Fareway’s campus in Boone.

Fareway officials said they’ve been incorporating sustainable practices since the grocery chain started 85 years ago. The business now has 135 stores in seven states.

“We are proud to extend our tradition of sustainable practices and look forward to advancing our initiatives in partnership with Alliant Energy,” Fareway President Garrett S. Piklapp said.

“We strive to be good stewards of our resources. This solar field is a conscious decision to employ technology that furthers our reach in energy efficiency, not only for the environment but to also best serve our customers.”

The field’s 2,000 solar panels will cover 6 acres. It is one of Alliant Energy’s first customer-hosted solar projects in Iowa, with others under construction in Marshalltown and Perry.

The project is part of Alliant Energy’s customer-hosted renewables program, which enables customers with available land to host solar facilities. In return, they receive lease payments for the next two decades and renewable energy credits. The project also furthers Alliant’s goal to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

The solar field will be located on undeveloped land Fareway owns on the western edge of its distribution center in the Boone Industrial Park.

Alliant Energy will design, construct, own, operate and maintain the solar field. It is expected to be in operation by year’s end, the company said in a news release.