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Local resident proposes Des Moines County clean energy district, outlines pilot projects and funding routes
Summary
Kenny Olsen, a Burlington resident and certified energy manager, presented a plan to create a Clean Energy District in Des Moines County, describing local projects, grant programs and tools to track municipal energy use.
Kenny Olsen, a Burlington resident and certified energy manager, told the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors on April 2025 that he intends to form a local clean energy district and offered technical assistance for municipal projects such as rooftop solar and energy tracking.
Olsen said the Clean Energy Districts of Iowa is a nonprofit that supports local energy districts and now covers 13 counties; he said Des Moines County would be the 14th. He described goals including keeping energy dollars in the local economy, creating jobs, reducing environmental impacts and improving local control over energy choices.
Olsen detailed several immediate priorities: establishing a strategic plan, securing initial funding, pursuing partnerships with residents, businesses and local governments, and using the EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager to benchmark municipal energy use. He said the library is one of the county’s largest municipal energy users and that an RFP is being prepared to evaluate solar for the library, the Public Works building and the animal shelter.
On funding, Olsen cited federal and state programs his group can help local governments pursue, including Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) and USDA programs such as REAP (Rural Energy for America Program). He also discussed tax incentives that can reduce municipal solar costs by roughly one-third when structured as tax-exempt entities receive a cash payment in lieu of tax credits.
During a question-and-answer period Olsen said he can help evaluate battery storage and emergency backup options and monitor buildings’ energy use to identify savings. He also recommended measuring energy use at the building level and said even modest investments can yield growing savings if utility rates continue to rise.
Olsen offered to work with county staff on RFPs and baseline benchmarking; he left his contact information with county staff and asked supervisors to consider piloting the Portfolio Manager benchmarking approach.
Olsen did not present firm funding commitments or binding agreements; he described proposals, potential grants and program options and offered ongoing technical assistance.
