A new partnership has given Fareway Stores access to solar power after Alliant Energy placed a one-megawatt Fareway Solar Field – consisting of about 2,000 solar panels – at the grocer’s distribution center in Boone Industrial Park.
The energy company will own, operate and maintain the Fareway Solar Field as part of the Alliant Energy Customer-Hosted Renewables program. The site, which went into service in late May, will generate renewable energy for all Alliant Energy customers and renewable energy credits for Fareway to offset a portion of its carbon emissions.
The renewables program enables customers with available land to host solar facilities and receive annual lease payments.
“This project is a terrific addition to our distribution center campus here in Boone,” said Pat Goldsmith, Fareway’s VP of facilities and projects.
“Partnering with Alliant Energy on the production of clean energy for years into the future is a great extension of our company’s legacy.”
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In 1955, Fareway began warming stores by reclaiming heat generated from refrigeration compressors. Today, Fareway recycles 850,000 pallets, 12,500 tons of cardboard, 400 tons of plastic shrink wrap, 4,500,000 plastic grocery sacks and 5,000 gallons of waste oil per year.
“We’re proud of this partnership with Fareway as it brings Alliant Energy’s first Iowa-based customer-hosted solar project into operation,” said Mason Adams, Alliant’s senior key account manager.
“Expanding access to low-cost renewable energy to all customers keeps affordability at the heart of everything we do. This is an exciting milestone as we move toward a more reliable and sustainable energy future.”
The Fareway Solar Field also furthers Alliant Energy’s goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
