Decorah City Council endorses letter to Alliant Energy

The Decorah City Council Monday evening voted 5-1 in favor of sending a non-binding letter of interest to Alliant Energy, proposing the formation of a collaborative "Non-Taxable Entity" solar field involving the City of Decorah, Winneshiek County and Winneshiek Medical Center.

Winneshiek Energy District Director Andy Johnson says the Iowa Utility Board is currently studying the issue and is looking for communities willing to be pilot programs.

"This approach could be useful," Johnson told council members, outlining how the city, county and hospital could share in creating an off-site solar field that would generate electricity for the three organizations without having to install solar panels directly on their properties.

There are still many more questions about how the system would work in Iowa which are included in Johnson's letter to Alliant Energy.