Bills › 89th General Assembly
Establishing the alternate energy innovation program in the department of education
Topics:K–12 educationEnergy & utilitiesHigher educationWind & solar
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 26, 2022
- Stopped: SubcommitteeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: House committee
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: Senate committee
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2022 session adjourned on May 24, 2022, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary Iowa is creating a new program to help students in public, charter, and higher education learn about solar and wind energy. Schools can apply for grants of up to $500,000 to install this equipment on their property. Students at colleges can also work with local schools to provide hands-on training using the new technology.1
Read the official explanation
This bill establishes the alternate energy innovation program in the department of education. The bill requires the department of education to administer the alternate energy innovation program in consultation with the state board of regents and the utilities board within the utilities division of the department of commerce. The bill provides that the alternate energy innovation program is designed to enhance educational opportunities by providing students enrolled in schools —— public schools, charter schools, or innovation zone schools —— and students enrolled in higher education providers with access to solar energy conversion equipment and wind energy conversion equipment. The bill authorizes a school and a higher education provider to enter into an agreement to allow students enrolled in the higher education provider to provide training and practical instruction to students enrolled in the school related to the solar energy conversion equipment or wind energy conversion equipment. The bill establishes the alternate energy innovation program fund in the state treasury under the authority of the department. The bill authorizes a school to apply to the department for a grant from the fund for the installation of solar energy conversion equipment or wind energy conversion equipment on the school’s property. The bill describes the factors the department must consider when determining what school should receive a grant. The bill provides that the total amount of the grants the department awards from the fund shall not exceed $500,000 per school per school budget year. Additionally, the bill limits the total amount of the grants the department awards from the fund to percent of a school’s project costs if the school has entered into an agreement with a higher education provider and percent of a school’s project costs if the school has not entered into an agreement with a higher education provider. The bill authorizes a school to sell to the electric public utility that provides electricity to the school any electricity produced by the solar energy conversion equipment or wind energy conversion equipment that the school installed pursuant to a grant awarded by the department under the alternate energy innovation program. Any moneys received are miscellaneous income for purposes of Code chapter 257 (financing school programs) and must be used for in-classroom expenses. The bill requires the department and the utilities board within the utilities division of the department of commerce to jointly adopt rules to administer the alternate energy innovation program. The bill defines “higher education provider”, “school”, “solar energy conversion equipment”, and “wind energy conversion equipment”.