Lawmakers taking shine to solar power industrySep 13 - "Telegraph-Herald (Dubuque, IA)"Iowa already is a national leader in the production of wind energy. Advocates toured northeast Iowa on Thursday, hoping to spread the word that solar energy can be just as fruitful. Four advocacy groups and a bipartisan pair of state senators toured solar facilities in Decorah and Dubuque. In the latter, they viewed Eagle Point Solar's new office in the historic Millwork District, as well as solar systems at the city's Municipal Services Building, in the downtown area and at The Swiss Colony in Peosta - all while, as their fortune would have it, a bright sun lit their day. "I truly believe it's where the future of our state lies," said Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, who co-hosted the event with Sen. Michael Breitbach, R-Strawberry Point. "It not only is good for the environment, but just as importantly, it's good economics. It creates great jobs." The advocacy groups involved in the tour were the Iowa Solar Energy Trade Association, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the Iowa Environmental Council and the Iowa Policy Project. Barry Shear, owner of Eagle Point Solar, guided the tour through the Dubuque area. "You've been a great leader in wind energy. Now, we just have to bring solar into the mix," said Tim Dwight, president of the Iowa Solar Energy Trade Association and a former University of Iowa and NFL football player. "The state has started to support solar energy. We just need a little more." Iowa ranks 16th in the nation for solar power potential, according to the National Renewable Energy Lab. The Municipal Services Building was a notable site for a stop on Thursday's tour, as it is ground zero for a civil dispute between Eagle Point Solar and Alliant Energy. In April, an Iowa district court ruled selling electricity to the city of Dubuque via a third-party power purchase agreement does not make Eagle Point Solar a public or electric utility. The dispute began in July 2011 when the city approved an agreement with Eagle Point Solar to install a solar array on the roof of the building, with Dubuque Bank & Trust as the owner, or third party. The deal was based on the city purchasing electricity produced by the solar panels. Alliant Energy has appealed the ruling. Protecting that court victory was one of six policy items the advocacy groups noted Thursday. They also suggested expanding solar power tax credits for residents and businesses, rolling over unused tax credits from one year to the next and expanding solar energy in the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard. "It's so important legislators understand this industry," Dwight said. "We feel our technology is finally starting to have its day." As popular as wind energy has been in Iowa - in 2012, almost a quarter of the state's electricity was produced by wind turbines - Jochum and Breitbach said Thursday that there is room at the legislative table for solar energy programs as well. "We hope so. We haven't talked about actual policy today. We just wanted to see what is going on in Iowa, share the success stories," Jochum said. Breitbach said he could support programs that assist cities and municipalities that wish to use solar power or so-called solar gardens, arrays of solar panels placed in strategic areas that people can purchase and draw power from. "Anything we can do to conserve our natural resources to make ourselves more energy-independent is great," Breitbach said. http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=29971992 |