Author name: Dan Clinger

The Cerro Gordo Clean Energy District had a great time connecting with families at this year’s STEM Festival in Mason City. Our booth focused on something simple but powerful- showing how energy is created. The highlight was our hand-crank “wheel,” where kids could generate their own electricity and watch lights turn on as they spun. […]

By Tod Bowman, policy associate, Center for Rural Affairs https://www.cfra.org/blog/wind-effect-tax-relief-iowa-schools  Rural Iowa schools are deeply committed to maintaining quality education, but they must continually navigate the fiscal pressures of shrinking enrollment and stagnant local tax bases. In some counties, a steady fiscal boost has arrived in the form of tax revenue from local wind energy

Rooftop solar can be a smart investment—but not when it starts with a knock at the door. Door-to-door “green energy” pitches often rely on urgency, identity confusion (“we’re with your utility”), and too-good-to-be-true math. In Iowa, utilities, police, and consumer agencies have all flagged rising complaints tied to these tactics. The pattern is familiar: high-pressure

Solar power is still one of the smartest moves a business can make. With strong federal incentives and new financing options, going solar has never been more practical or affordable. Even organizations that don’t pay taxes can benefit through creative partnerships and evolving programs. As energy costs rise and customers expect more sustainability, solar helps

Thinking about solar for your business? You’re not alone. Join us on Thursday, October 9, 2025, 7–9 p.m. at the North Iowa Regional Commerce Center in Mason City for Solar Means Business. Hear real stories from local business owners who’ve already gone solar — how they financed it, what the process was like, and the

There’s been plenty of bad news swirling around wind energy lately, but we keep looking for the positives. Here’s one: an Iowa company is recycling decommissioned turbine blades into building materials. A small but powerful reminder that clean energy solutions keep moving forward. 👉 Read the article

Great news—solar panels are aging more gracefully than we thought!A recent study of panels installed between 1987 and 1993 across Switzerland found they’re still providing over 80% of their original capacity after more than 30 years—much longer than typical warranties cover. Researchers say this underscores how durable solar can be when built with robust materials

Some days it feels like wind gets all the glory in Iowa. Big turbines, big numbers, big headlines. Meanwhile, something quieter has been reshaping the grid from the neighborhood level: community solar. Over just the past five years, three local programs—the Cedar Rapids garden with Alliant Energy, Osage Municipal Utilities’ new voluntary offering, and the

Senator Chuck Grassley’s making waves in a place you might not expect: the permitting pipeline for renewable energy. He’s holding up certain Treasury appointments until there’s flexibility in how “beginning construction” is defined. Doesn’t sound dramatic? Tell that to the crew in Hardin County who’ve already mapped out their site but could lose funding if

Mid-morning coffee, and you hear it again: “Iowa went from two windmills to 12,000 MW of turbines—and nearly 350 MW of solar—in less than ten years.” Feels like a fairy tale, right? Except now Uncle Sam’s yanking tax breaks, and suddenly that Cinderella story sounds like a cliffhanger. Farmers were the first in line for solar panels,

I believe General Mills’ pledge to nurture our planet beyond 150 years—by advancing regenerative agriculture on one million acres by 2030—crystalizes the need for long-term land stewardship (see General Mills Regenerative Agriculture) . Perhaps, it seems, pairing solar energy with farming—known as agrivoltaics—could be the linchpin for protecting dirt that fed our grandparents and will