April 25, 2024
Alliant Energy, with four Grinnell community partners, has broken ground on multiple adjacent solar projects that will total five megawatts (MW), at the new Grinnell Solar Park in Western Grinnell south of Sixth Ave. on the site locally known as the former RC Industries location.
Alliant Energy will own, operate and maintain the Grinnell Solar Park as part of its Alliant Energy Customer-Hosted Renewables program.
“This new solar park showcases the benefits of renewable energy and a new source of reliable energy for the community,” said Amanda Accola, senior key account manager for Alliant Energy. “We’re appreciative of the forward-looking partners that made these four projects possible.”
The four community partners will each have their own solar projects within the park. The City of Grinnell and Grinnell College will each have a two-MW project. Mayflower Community and Ahrens Park Foundation will have a 625-kilowatt (kW) and a 375-kW facility, respectively.
Alliant’s program requires participating customers to own the land they lease to the company for a solar array. Each entity will receive lease payments from Alliant. The portion of the park owned by each will be operated separately by Alliant though the divisions will likely not be obvious to observers.
The park in all will be 19 acres, surrounded by an eight-foot-high deer fence. In total around 1,000 steel upright poles will be installed, each holding eight to ten solar panels on a horizontal crossbeam. When completed in early 2025, the park will have around 9,500 solar panels. Work is being performed by Waldinger Corporation of Des Moines, supervised by Alliant engineers.
The solar park will re-purpose a brownfield site formerly used for commercial and industrial businesses.
The community has worked closely with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for many years to clean up the property and perform environmental testing.
“The city of Grinnell appreciates the collaboration with the other project participants and the leadership provided by Alliant Energy. The revitalization of this underutilized brownfield site was made possible by the work of the Grinnell school district and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Their work eliminated an abandoned and dilapidated nuisance industrial facility, paving the way for these improvements,” said Russ Behrens, Grinnell city manager.
“That collaborative work will result in the generation of five megawatts of clean, renewable energy and meaningful revenue for the participants,” Behrens adds. “The net revenue for the city of Grinnell over the potential 35-year life span is more than $3 million to support projects such as emergency medical services and streets.”
“As we break ground on the Grinnell Solar Park, we’re not just constructing panels; we’re illuminating a path toward a more sustainable future,” said Chris Bair, Grinnell College environmental and safety manager. “This collaborative effort between Alliant Energy and our incredible community partners signifies a commitment to harnessing the power of renewable energy. Together, we’re not only generating clean power but also empowering our community with the resources to thrive for generations to come.”
Alliant Energy expects the Grinnell Solar Park will be operational in early 2025. According to Alliant Communications Specialist Chris Caporale, the power generated at the new solar park will largely be fed to the local distribution grid owned and operated by Alliant and connected to a local substation to provide service to local customers.
The park is another important component in Alliant Energy’s Clean Energy Blueprint, the company’s roadmap to diversify its energy mix and accelerate its transition to renewable energy. The company’s Clean Energy Vision includes a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its utility operations by 2050.
“Mayflower Community is pleased to join Alliant Energy and project participants in the development of the Grinnell Solar Park,” said Kellie McGriff, Executive Director of Mayflower Community. “Mayflower is enthusiastic about partnering with the City of Grinnell to preserve and protect our environment and natural resources and support vital local projects.”
“The Ahrens Park Foundation is honored to be participating in the Grinnell Solar Park, with collaborative efforts with Alliant Energy and our local partners. The advantages that this solar project bring to our community are significant, as it has the potential to stimulate our local economy, enhancement of health and well-being, preserving our environment, reduction in utility expenses, as well as understanding and education around how solar works,” said Chad Nath, President and CEO of Ahrens Park Foundation. “Heeding the wise words of Claude W. Ahrens, we are dedicated to leaving it better than we found it and have consistently acted upon this advice by providing spaces for individuals to lead a healthy and well-rounded life.”
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Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: LNT) provides regulated energy service to 1 million electric and 425,000 natural gas customers across Iowa and Wisconsin. Alliant Energy’s mission is to deliver energy solutions and exceptional service customers and communities count on – safely, efficiently and responsibly. Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) and Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL) are Alliant Energy’s two public energy companies. Alliant Energy is a component of Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index and the S&P 500. For more information, visit alliantenergy.com and follow Alliant Energy on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.
