Solar energy development and renewable power generation haven’t been hot topics in the Iowa farm country around Plymouth County. But it is now.

The Plymouth County extension office of Iowa State University will host the region’s first renewable energy conference at its Le Mars campus on Tuesday, March 2.

Carol Schneider, who heads up the Plymouth County office, said the conference seemed like a good and timely opportunity.

Iowa has recently passed legislation that encourages clean energy development and increases incentives for solar and wind installations.

On the heels of that, developers have started to pitch big wind farm projects in the Plymouth County area.

“We thought folks need to know as much as they can about the technology and the law before this really takes off,” Schneider said.

The one-day conference will feature speakers from the Iowa Energy Center, USDA Rural Development, and Iowa State University.

Bil Hamen from the Iowa Energy Center will be the highlighted speaker, Schneider said.

“He’ll talk about the nuts and bolts of wind energy in the morning,” Schneider said.

There is a lot of emphasis on wind development in this plains region, but Hamen plans to talk in the afternoon about the merits of solar energy development and why it might be a preferred technology to wind generation.

Hamen is expected to explain some of the new technological advances in the solar industry and how they make solar a good choice even on windy Iowa farmland, Schneider said.

The event will also feature a few people Schneider calls entrepreneurs—landowners who installed wind turbines on their own property.

They will talk about the obstacles and challenges they faced and about the benefits they’re getting from their new clean energy generation.

A team from the USDA will talk to those attending about financing options, rebates and incentives and how it all fits together financially if they’re interested in incorporating clean-energy power generation into their operations.

The event had more than 100 people registered early in the week and a group of 20 high school students coming from Spirit Lake to learn about the technology and how it could be developed in their area, Schneider said.

“We’re excited,” she said. “It should be a good event.”

Image courtesy of the USDA’s Iowa office.