Cedar Rapids nets $250K grant for green energy planning

CEDAR RAPIDS — With the help of a $250,000 planning grant, the Iowa Energy Fund intends to turn Cedar Rapids into its “development grounds” to learn more about effective public-private pathways toward green energy implementation.

The city — in collaboration with the Iowa Energy Fund — recently received the $250,000 as part of the Local Governments for Sustainability’s Municipal Investment Fund program, which aims to help communities develop plans to stay atop rising energy demands while keeping electric costs low.

Iowa Energy Fund Executive Director Bob Rafferty said those funds will be used over the next six months to cover staff time associated with the plan, consulting fees, legal reviews and other costs associated with the planning process.

The goal is to create a sort of community roadmap, Rafferty said, to identify market-generating opportunities that promote the deployment of clean, affordable energy across the public and private sectors.

“This grant lets us make Cedar Rapids a sort of development ground,” Rafferty said. “We’ll develop (a plan) for the Cedar Rapids market, and they’ll be the initial beneficiaries, but we’re hoping it’s a framework that we can take statewide.”

The planning process will be led by members of the Iowa Energy Fund and Cedar Rapids city staff, who will work together to engage outside stakeholders to identify opportunities for green-energy projects and promotions.

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Cedar Rapids Sustainability Program Manager Sara Maples said that process could include anything from exploring potential locations for rooftop solar to conversing with area financial institutions to discuss ways to reduce upstart and borrowing costs for green energy projects.

“From the city’s perspective, we’re looking at how we come up with opportunities where we can gain that sort of economy of scale” to improve affordability, Maples said. “There’s a lot of advantages to us being able to identify these projects.”

The plan will also be outlined with the city’s Community Climate Action Plan in mind. The plan, approved in 2021, outlines the city’s goals around the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increasing climate resilience.

The planning period began Nov. 1 and will run through the next six months. By completing the plan, the city will be eligible to apply for up to $2 million in competitive grant funding for additional pre-development costs and market building initiatives.

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