New solar energy farm is coming to Decorah

A new 1.5 MW solar energy farm will be built later this year--and neither Alliant Energy nor Decorah Power are involved.  Instead, it will be Dairyland Power and MiEnergy Cooperative who are in charge of the project.

They have hired SoCore Energy, a Chicago-based market leader in commercial, industrial and distributed solar and storage projects, to build the "utility-scale" solar generation project, as well as similar projects in Albert Lea, Minnsota, and York, Illinois.  Construction on the new sites will begin this summer, with the installations going on line around the end of 2018.

The three new solar installations will increase the number of Dairyland Power solar farm installations to 18 and the total solar energy generation to 25 MW.

SoCore Energy will install, own, operate and maintain the facility in Decorah.  The solar installation will use a tracking system which follows the path of the sun to increase energy production.  The site will also include a pollinator garden which uses native seed mixes of grasses and flowers to help sustain and grow bee and butterfly populations, to reduce storm water runoff and to increase site protection from erosion.