Decorah Park Board approves the concept of a large Alliant battery storage facility

The details are still being worked out, but members of the Decorah Parks & Recreation Board have given their approval to the concept of leasing a parcle of property in the southeast corner of Vennehjem Park to Alliant Energy for use as the site of a battery electricity storage site.

Decorah Park-Rec Director Andy Nimrod says there are still many steps before construction can begin, including having the City Attorney review the proposed lease and having the Decorah Planning & Zoning Commission review the plans.

But the Park Board and Alliant have agreed on a rental price for the property.  They have also agreed that the money paid by Alliant for the lease would go towards paying for playground equipment in the Vennehjem Park.

The battery storage facility would allow Alliant Energy to store electricity at the site during days when Alliant customers with solar energy installations sell their electricity to the utility.  The electricity could then be stored for use on days when power demand was high or production was low.