WEST DES MOINES — The Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) announced Grow Solar Linn + Johnson Counties is a recipient of the 2022 ISAC Excellence in Action Award, which was presented during an award ceremony at the ISAC Annual Conference in Des Moines on August 24.
The Excellence in Action Award Program is a competitive awards program that seeks to recognize innovative county government employees, programs, and projects.
Grow Solar Linn + Johnson Counties is a collaborative project among the two counties as well as local cities, organizations, businesses, other stakeholders, and residents that helps educate the public about solar energy and makes adding clean energy arrays more affordable to homeowners through group buys.
The group knew that efficiency, cost-savings, and broader awareness could be found by building a partnership. The new educational and group buy efforts have resulted in nearly 450 individuals from both rural and urban areas participating in Solar Power Hour learning opportunities and using a locally based installer, 64 property owners have added a total of 557 kW of solar power.
The project shows the power of coordination and collaboration across county lines to address community needs and desires.
The Iowa State Association of Counties is a private, nonprofit corporation whose members are county officials from the 99 counties in Iowa. ISAC’s mission is to promote effective and responsible county government for the people of Iowa. For further information visit the ISAC website at www.iowacounties.org.