Boone-based Fareway Stores is harnessing the power of solar energy with its recent partnership with Alliant Energy, which activated the one-megawatt Fareway Solar Field last week. Comprised of nearly 2,000 solar panels, the solar field is located at the grocery chain’s distribution center in the Boone Industrial Park.
Under the partnership, the energy company will own, operate and maintain the Fareway Solar Field as part of its Customer-Hosted Renewables program, which enables qualified customers with available land to host solar facilities and receive annual lease payments.
The site will generate renewable energy for all Alliant Energy customers and renewable energy credits for Fareway to offset a portion of its carbon emissions, a news release said.
“This project is a terrific addition to our distribution center campus here in Boone,” said Pat Goldsmith, Fareway’s vice president 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 legacy.”
The Fareway Solar Field is a continuation of the grocery chain’s sustainability practices going back to 1955, when it began heating stores by reclaiming heat generated by refrigeration compressors.
Today, Fareway annually 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.
“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, senior key account manager at Alliant Energy. “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.”
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