Nine households in Linn and Johnson counties are now signed up with the Grow Solar Linn + Johnson Counties solar buy and education program, meeting the program’s first goal of 50 collective kilowatts (kW) and bringing a discount to all participants.
The program launched with below market rate pricing. By reaching the first kilowatt milestone, participants save another 3 cents per watt. More cost savings will be available if the group buy collectively reaches milestones of 150 kW, 300 kW and 500 kW milestones, potentially bringing the energy cost down to $1.99/watt. Any saving thresholds reached after property owners sign on for the program are retroactively rebated to those owners, according to a news release.
People throughout Linn and Johnson counties can still sign up at linnjohnson.growsolar.org to attend an educational seminar to learn about the program or to get a free estimate. A virtual resource packet, including recorded presentations in ASL, English, and Spanish captioning, is available at https://www.growsolar.org/linn-johnson-counties/virtual-resource-packet/. People have until Aug. 31 to decide whether to enroll.
“Nearly 250 people have attended this year’s Solar Power Hours, and many have gotten estimates for installing solar,” Johnson County’s sustainability coordinator Becky Soglin said. “It’s great to see how much enthusiasm there is for solar, and we’re only halfway through the Grow Solar program. We’ll host at least eight more presentations this summer, so there are still plenty of opportunities for people to get introduced to solar and consider it for their property.”
Grow Solar Linn + Johnson Counties is administered by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA), and the solar systems are installed by Eagle Point Solar. In addition to the two counties, primary partners for the program are the City of Cedar Rapids, the City of Iowa City, Green Iowa AmeriCorps–Cedar Rapids/Matthew 25, Green Iowa AmeriCorps–Iowa City, Johnson Clean Energy District, Johnson County Conservation, Linn Clean Energy District, Linn County Public Health, and The Nature Conservancy in Iowa.
