On February 25th IAMU Energy Services will be hosting its first Webinar of 2021: A Solar Roundtable Discussion Focused on Small Utility Scale Solar! Bring your solar questions to this virtual roundtable discussion!
 
Our roundtable panel of experts will be hosted by IAMU’s Jeff Gorrie and will include:
Tyler Anderson - President at Simpleray Solar
Warren McKenna - Former GM of Farmers Electric Co-Op
Chris Ball - Utility Solar Specialist
 
Click this link to register: https://lnkd.in/gP5VNgg

Have a complex question you would like the panel to research before the webinar? Send all inquiries to: jgorrie@iamu.org

IAMU will be hosting a solar conversation on March 15^th, 2018 at IAMU.  There is a lot of misinformation about solar and you may have questions.  This will not be a formal presentation, it is more of a conversational discussion to help you determine if solar might be a good fit for your utility. 

There is NO CHARGE for this meeting.  Our presenters and sponsor for the event will be Eric Bleckinger and Steve Steenhoek from Ziegler Power Systems.

Click here to register (IAMU Utility members only).

Date: Thursday, March 15, 2018

Where: IAMU boardroom

Check-in Time: 9:30 - 10:00 – Coffee and donuts, sponsored by Ziegler Power Systems

Meeting Time: 10:00 – Noon. Agenda below.  Lunch at noon, sponsored by Ziegler Power Systems

Cost: Free

Limited to first 20 registrants.

Who should attend? Anyone considering solar - community, or otherwise - could benefit from this discussion.

Why should I attend? Gain a better understanding of the driving factors of Renewable Energy development and finance – and how they might affect your specific municipal group.  We will go beyond CAT specific product, and highlight how we can assist as a true development partner and systems integrator.

What will we talk about?

• Application strategies
•  Financial decision points for Municipal Utilities considering solar.
•  Solar site selection and development
•  Site and layout optimization for LCOE

 

Background

Iowa Code chapter 476C has provided transferable tax credits for renewable energy production to eligible entities since July 1, 2005.  The tax credit is available for electricity generated from renewable sources, as well as several non-electricity renewable energy sources.  For renewable electricity production, the tax credit is 1.5 cents per kWh generator for ten years.  Until now, municipal utilities were not eligible to receive the tax credit.  Investor owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives are also eligible for the tax credit.

HF 645 also adds 10 MW of generating capacity that is eligible for the tax credit, and reserves this for solar PV systems that are owned or contracted for by utilities.  The solar arrays can each be up to 1.5 MW in nameplate capacity.  Because the tax credits are transferable, municipal utilities can utilize the tax credit to make a project more attractive.

An expected use of the tax credits is to assist in the development of utility-led community solar projects.  In a municipal utility community solar array, the utility sponsors the construction of a central solar array, and customers subscribe to receive energy from the array.  Community solar allows any customer to invest in solar, achieve economies of scale compared to multiple small arrays, and allows the system to be optimized for capacity and energy production.

Apply Soon

There is significant interest in community solar projects across the state, and it is expected that the 10 MW of capacity reserved for utility solar projects will be used up quickly.  Municipal utilities developing a solar project are urged to submit an eligibility certification application to the IUB as soon as possible.    For information about the application process, please see the IUB’s website: https://iub.iowa.gov/renewable-energy-tax-credits.  For information on how the tax credit may apply to a project your utility is considering, please contact Joel Logan at IAMU at jlogan@iamu.org or 515.289.1999.