Ask Mr. Answer Person: "Will or won't Alliant Energy work with Decorah on a community solar energy project?"

(Several readers have e-mailed and contacted us, asking about competing claims by Decorah Power and Alliant Energy involving Alliant's willingness to do community solar projects)

Mr. Answer Person says: "We posted a story about this issue last August (http://www.decorahnews.com/archived-stories/2017/08/17172.html), but, of course, there's renewed interest in the issue now.

Alliant Energy representatives have been publicizing their Port of Dubuque Solar Garden, a 1.2-megawatt solar garden near downtown Dubuque which started generating electricity last September.  They have said they'd welcome the chance to talk with Decorah officials about a similar solar project here.

The stumbling point in the past, however, has been ownership of a community solar project.  The Dubuque solar garden is owned by Alliant Energy.  Alliant previously rejected a proposed "Winneshiek Shareholders" solar energy farm in Freeport because it would be owned by five participating organizations and not by Alliant Energy.  A project such as the proposed Freeport project would allow participants to qualify for renewable energy tax credits.  

So both sides here are telling only part of the story—Alliant Energy says it will work with Decorah, but doesn't talk about the ownership issue, while Decorah Power says Alliant won't work with local groups, but doesn't talk about the tax credit issue.  The question is not whether the two sides will work together with one another, but which side would get to take advantage of the tax credits given to community solar projects."