Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Completed Competitive Grant

Renewable energy feed-in tariffs: Potential opportunities for Iowa

Project ID: P2010-02

Abstract

Policy makers seeking a new tool to encourage investment in alternative energy sources may consider feed-in tariffs as incentives to promote adoption of solar and wind power options in Iowa.

Key Question: Are renewable energy incentive rates, such as feed-in tariffs (FITs), a viable policy option that could help farmers, landowners, small businesses and homeowners develop and own renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind in Iowa?

Findings: FIT incentive rates are a flexible and highly effective policy tool that can be used to encourage the development of additional distributed and smaller-scale renewable energy projects on Iowa farms, businesses and homes. FIT incentive rates are legal (not preempted by federal law), can be designed with minimal or no electric rate impact, and are a proven policy to encourage solar panels, wind turbines, and other renewable energy technology.

Lead investigator: Nathaniel Baer, Iowa Environmental Council

Co-Investigator(s):

Gregg Heide, Iowa Farmers Union, and Rich Dana, National Center for Appropriate Technology

Year of grant completion: 2012

This competitive grant project was part of the Leopold Center's Policy Initiative.

Topics: Bioeconomy and energy, Policy