We’re building the largest solar site in Iowa

DUBUQUE, Iowa – May 18, 2017 – Our customers in Iowa will soon get a big boost of solar power. Our Iowa energy company is expanding solar energy and we have started construction on the state’s largest solar site.

Work is underway to prepare the location, which is in Dubuque, for more than 15,600 solar panels. The site is expected to start generating renewable energy for customers in August. The 5-megawatt system can generate enough energy from the sun to power 727 typical Iowa homes annually.

“Solar energy is more affordable when it is built on a large scale,” said Terry Kouba, vice president of Iowa operations. “This is our largest solar project yet, and like our other projects, we will apply lessons learned to the development of more solar sites across Iowa.”

The solar project is located in the Dubuque Industrial Center West and is a collaboration with the city of Dubuque and the Greater Dubuque Development Corp.

Alliant Energy is also working with A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing Co. to construct a solar site near downtown Dubuque. With more than 3,500 panels, this 1.2-megawatt system will generate enough energy to power 126 typical Iowa homes annually starting in September. This site will feature an educational component for visitors to learn more about the benefits of solar energy.

It’s in your power to be green

Want to help reduce your contribution to climate change? Switch your household to renewable power.

Home electricity use is one of the top issues to address if you want to reduce your carbon footprint.

And, even if you rent, or your roof isn’t right for solar, we still offer an easy way for you to go green.

Choosing Alliant Energy’s Second Nature program enables you to take advantage of earth-friendly renewable energy produced from local wind, solar and bioenergy generators.

When you participate, you’re helping to displace electricity that would otherwise come from sources like coal, natural gas and nuclear power, and to improve air quality.

Just one household participating in Alliant Energy’s Second Nature program at the 100% level reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 8.6 metric tons per year. That’s equivalent to taking almost two passenger cars off the road for one year.

You can sign up to use renewable power in amounts equal to 25%, 50% or 100% of your electric usage. A few dollars per month can make a big difference.

The energy for Second Nature customers comes primarily from wind farms in Hancock County, Iowa, and Dodge County, Wisconsin. The remainder comes from a landfill gas generator in Janesville, Wisconsin and new solar projects in Wisconsin and Iowa.

The Second Nature program is Green-e® Energy certified and meets the environmental and consumer-protection standards set forth by the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions.

Sign up at alliantenergy.com/secondnature

 

Customers, media can get the scoop faster when outages occur with our new map

We know our customers and our media partners want more detailed information about outages, like the cause and when power will be restored. And our new map delivers!

“We know our customers want more information about outages, like the cause and when power will be restored. You will notice a significant upgrade to our interactive outage map,” said Tim Heinrich, Director of Customer Experience and Engagement.

New features

• Detailed information: Estimated restoration time, number of customers out, crew status and cause.
• View your way: You can view outages by ZIP code or county in a table or on the map.
• Weather overlay: View the weather in your neighborhood or across our service area and see how it is impacting outages.
• Up-close views: When viewing an outage, you can zoom in to within 500 feet of an outage, like a neighborhood.
• Bookmarks for convenience: You can bookmark your location, or multiple locations, on the map to quickly see if there’s an outage in the area.

The map is located at alliantenergy.com/outage and will be user-friendly on all mobile devices.

We also have a new website coming this summer. You will be able to find what you’re looking for faster – all the most important information will be front and center.