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Such research, policy and incentives should focus on outcomes that enhance profitability for growers, create meaningful opportunities for beginning farmers, promote food security in domestic markets, strengthen public health, assist in the transition to a renewable energy economy, protect lands vulnerable to soil and water degradation, and reinforce the critical roles of state and local governments.”
The amendment was approved. Meanwhile, the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors is reviewing recommendations from its Zoning Commission that could hinder these outcomes.
The proposed renewable energy siting ordinance and ag land “overlay district” – with a stated purpose to “promote the effective and efficient use” of renewable energy systems – may do the opposite. It defines any solar array producing power for off-site use as “utility-scale,” no matter how small or who owns it. To “minimize visual impacts,” (a vague standard), it requires quarter-mile setbacks from roads and property lines. This renders many potential projects infeasible. Whole areas of the county are put off-limits if parts of their watershed contain karst formations, steep slopes or erodible soils,
As a result, many landowners could lose out on revenue to bring stability to their farm incomes. The potential for affordable land access for smaller-scale food farmers would be stifled. “Community solar” projects, which allow people to band together to generate electricity for themselves through the grid when it is too costly or impractical to do so on property they own, could be stymied.
Solar energy is the cheapest form of electricity. An acre of solar produces 50 times more energy than an acre of corn for ethanol, according to Chris Jones, retired research engineer for the University of Iowa. Land generating solar power can also produce 10 times more tax revenue for counties, school districts and other local entities. Building clean energy facilities employs construction workers and can help revitalize rural communities.
But opposition to clean energy and climate change denial led by the fossil fuel industry resulted in a 73 percent increase in restrictions on wind and solar projects in 2023, mostly by cities and counties, according to a Columbia University report.
Surveys by Pew Research Center find that 67 percent of Americans support renewable energy. An independent study by Michigan Tech researchers in 2022 found that “81.8 percent of respondents would be more likely to support solar development in their community if it integrated agricultural production.”
I have worked on energy and agriculture policy with numerous non-profit organizations, community stakeholders, academic researchers and “people in the business.” Groups like the Iowa Environmental Council have broad and deep experience on energy issues. None seem to have been invited to participate in drafting or reviewing Dubuque County’s proposed ordinances. (Alliant Energy made a general presentation to the Commission in February.) A technical assistance organization called SolSmart, funded by the U.S Department of Energy, is available to Dubuque County at no cost to help the Board of Supervisors think through and craft a renewable energy ordinance that works to achieve their stated objectives.
I have encouraged the supervisors to postpone acting on the recommendations and engage in broad consultation with experts who can help us make the best decisions possible. Those decisions should make space for a future that includes agrivoltaics in Dubuque County. I look forward to reintroducing legislation in the General Assembly to offer incentives to Iowa landowners who want to both grow food and produce clean energy for Iowa.
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