The mood was cordial, yet emotionally charged, as representatives from NextEra Energy laid out their plans for a new Duane Arnold Solar IV energy project at an informational meeting July 24, touting the plan as the latest step in expanding the region’s renewable energy generation grid.
The public meeting, held at the Hawkeye Downs Expo Center in southwest Cedar Rapids, was hosted by NextEra and the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) and drew about 85 attendees, including landowners, solar energy supporters and labor union workers.
It represents the first official step in the review process for the latest project, dubbed Duane Arnold Solar IV, which would generate an estimated 220 megawatts of energy – enough to power 40,000 homes on average, according to NextEra. It would also incorporate an on-site Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with a capacity of up to 180 megawatts.
If approved by the IUC and Linn County, the Duane Arnold Solar IV project would be built on approximately 1,460 acres of rural land southeast of Center Point and northwest of Toddville. Solar panels would cover about 390 acres of the total project area, with the remainder designated for access roads, stormwater basins, buffer areas and ground cover vegetation.
It would represent the third phase of the overall Duane Arnold Solar project, the largest to date in Linn County – and perhaps in the state as a whole, Ms. Dickey said.
The first phase, Duane Arnold Solar I, is a 50-megawatt facility north of Palo, near the former Duane Arnold Energy Center, and began generating energy in late March. The second phase, Duane Arnold Solar II, is a 150-megawatt facility, also north of Palo. It remains under construction and is expected to begin operations by the end of 2024.
Both Duane Arnold Solar projects were approved in 2022, along with a separate 100-megawatt Coggon Solar project proposed by Clenera Energy. All three projects faced lawsuits, but Linn County prevailed in the two Duane Arnold Solar suits. An appeal in the Coggon Solar lawsuit, filed by neighboring property owners, remains pending.
Duane Arnold Solar I and II will eventually be owned by Alliant Energy and operated by NextEra Energy Resources O&M Services.
The ultimate utility owner of the Duane Arnold Solar IV project hasn’t yet been identified. In response to an audience member’s question, NextEra Energy project manager Kimberly Dickey said NextEra is “currently in negotiations” with a “customer offtaker.” That entity, she said, will be identified in NextEra’s filings with the IUC.
Energy from the project will “be injected into the grid at that load center,” she said, “and it will be used where it is needed most, but there is great demand for energy here in Iowa.”
Under IUC guidelines, NextEra must wait at least 30 days after the public information meeting to file its formal Duane Arnold Solar IV application with the IUC and with Linn County, both of which must approve the project before it can move ahead. Ms. Dickey said current plans call for Duane Arnold Solar IV construction to begin sometime in early 2025, with the project becoming operational by the end of 2026.
Ms. Dickey said the Duane Arnold Solar IV project would bring about 200 new jobs during construction, with one to two full-time positions to operate the facility after completion. It would bring $1.9 million in new local long-term output for Linn County, including an estimated $7.7 million in property taxes and $4.5 million in school district revenue over the expected 30-year life of the project.
A public presentation on the project also included a proposed timeline, information on community and environmental impacts, project setbacks for both participating and nonparticipating landowners in the project area, general installation plans, project participation from an estimated 50 landowners, compensation terms and decommissioning procedures.
As with Duane Arnold Solar I and II, Ms. Dickey said NextEra expects to gain voluntary participation from all impacted landowners for the Duane Arnold Solar IV project and doesn’t plan to employ eminent domain measures.
“Our projects enhance the value of the land for landowners for production and the future potential of farming and bring economic benefits to communities,” Mis. Dickey said. “We have successfully engaged lots of communities across Iowa, including Linn County, and our aim is to do the same again. Solar projects are successful when landowners’ interests and community support align.”
Just over 20 speakers expressed their views on the Duane Arnold Solar IV project at the July 24 meeting, approximately split between supporters and detractors. Issues raised included the project’s impact on area property values, environmental and archaeological concerns, the amount of energy being generated as compared with the now-closed Duane Arnold Energy Center, wildlife accommodations, the impacts of severe weather events, traffic on rural roads during construction, and the essential character of the area where the project would be constructed.
“This is a neighborhood,” said longtime Linn County resident Dr. Chad Abernathy. “This isn’t like your last project that was sparsely populated. This is an area that has at least 50 homes, and I think everybody here that’s from the neighborhood wants to know why we should give up our privacy to a project that’s yet to identify an end user … What do we benefit in the community? The tax base is minimal. Why should the Board of Supervisors approve this project?”
“This is an opportunity that, frankly, we can’t afford as Iowans to pass up,” Ms. Dickey responded. “There are just as many landowners who are interested in participating and leasing their land to realize this opportunity to bring more homegrown clean energy to Iowans and help meet that demand. And in that process. It also serves as an economic development opportunity that is a force multiplier.”
Mike Carberry, outreach director for Bright Future Iowa, a group that touts the benefits of renewable energy in Iowa, countered the concern that solar projects take agricultural land out of production.
“All farming is solar farming,” he said. “Farming is harvesting the power of the sun and converting it into a different form of energy – either using photosynthesis to turn it into calories or using photovoltaic to turn it into kilowatts.”
Several audience members said they were concerned that the plans outlined for Duane Arnold Solar IV to date are lacking specifics on the exact project area and other factors, and NextEra officials responded that those specifics would be included in the full project application.
All documents filed in the Duane Arnold Solar case will be included in the project’s Iowa Utilities Commission docket, GCU-2024-0002.
A Duane Arnold Solar III project is also in the works, but NextEra officials say plans for that project haven’t progressed as rapidly as those for Duane Arnold Solar IV. It’s not clear whether the Duane Arnold Solar III project would comprise additional solar panels, battery energy storage facilities, or other elements.
