On Wednesday afternoon, several local legislators were in Boone County to view practical applications of solar power.  The tour started at the farm of Senator Jerry Behn, then continued to the Jake Zehr acreage to view the 15kW roof mount solar unit, then moved to the Community Action weatherization project on 5th Street in Boone, and concluded at Moffitt’s Ford Lincoln to see how that business is using solar energy.

Here are some stats about solar in Iowa

Nearly 1,000 Iowans are employed in the solar industry, and “solar installer” is expected to be the fastest-growing job in the U.S. between 2016 and 2026 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

● Every one of Iowa’s 99 counties has solar projects installed that benefited from the Iowa upfront solar tax credit.

● Solar energy helps Iowa farmers hedge against uncertain energy costs in an unpredictable ag economy.

● Customer-owned solar benefits all utility customers because it saves utilities from needing to invest in new generation (which all customers pay for), adds low-cost energy to the grid when it is needed the most (hottest days and times of year, lowering average cost for everyone), keeps power steady and strong at the end of rural lines, and helps utilities avoid upgrades to lines and transformers, reducing the overall cost of delivering electricity for everyone.

● There are nearly 100 Iowa businesses involved in the solar energy supply chain.

● Investment of more than $209.5 million is associated with solar projects that benefited from the Iowa solar tax credit alone, meaning the total investment in solar is even higher.

● 85% of Iowans support Iowa’s solar investment tax credit and 88% want the state to use more renewable energy.

● Iowa has the solar potential to meet the state’s energy needs 150 times over.