BOONE, Iowa—Alliant Energy, Fareway Stores, Inc and representatives from the City of Boone, Boone’s Economic Development and the Boone County Chamber of Commerce were among those participating in a groundbreaking ceremony Monday in the Boone Industrial Park for the Alliant Energy and Fareway Solar Field. Garrett Piklapp, Fareway President, said it seems like it’s been a long time to get to the groundbreaking. He said the project was made possible by partnering with Alliant and the City of Boone. Piklapp says Fareway’s participation should not be a surprise given the companies long time commitment to sustainability and recycling. May Farlinger, Vice President of Customer and Community Engagement for Alliant said the Fareway Solar Field is one of the first customer-hosted projects in the state and will hopefully lead to others in the future. She said the project is part of Alliant’s long term plan for diversifying it generation sources.

Site preparation for the 1-megawatt, 2,000 solar panel project is expected within a month. It’s located on land owned by Fareway in the industrial park. Alliant estimates at full capacity it would generate enough electricity for 160 homes.