What Alliant Energy calls the largest solar field in Iowa is now operational in Linn County, and is getting a new name.

Alliant, which owns and operates the field near Palo, announced the facility would be changing its name to Pleasant Creek Solar after being known as Duane Arnold Solar throughout the project’s development and construction.

The 200-megawatt facility, which initially was controlled by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources while it was being developed near the decommissioned Duane Arnold Energy Center nuclear plant and is now owned by Alliant, is expected to power the equivalent of about 40,000 homes annually.

The project is connected to the electrical transmission grid through a substation previously used by the former nuclear plant. The project spans approximately 1,100 acres.

The facility’s construction was completed in two phases. The first 50 megawatts became operational in March 2024, and the other 150 megawatts were completed in December 2024.

Morgan Hawk, spokesperson for Alliant, said since December 2024, the entire 200 megawatts has been “operating and generating energy for customers.”

Since the project came online, the company has been finalizing the facility’s name change to Pleasant Creek Solar, Hawk said. According to a company news release, the facility’s new name pays homage to Pleasant Creek Lake, a human-made lake near the project site when the Duane Arnold Energy Center was built. The lake served as an emergency water source for the generating plant.

“Pleasant Creek Solar exemplifies our ‘all of the above’ energy strategy, resulting in cost-effective energy resources that increase reliability for customers,” Mayuri Farlinger, president of Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company and vice president of operations, said in a statement. “Our solar projects and energy system investments drive economic growth by attracting businesses to communities, creating jobs and boosting tax revenues.”

Alliant also operates two other solar facilities in Iowa — in Lee County and Union County. Together, they generate 200 megawatts of electricity as well and were put into service in 2024.

The 400 megawatts generated statewide by Alliant contribute to the company’s other clean energy generation, as Alliant generates about 1,300 megawatts of wind energy in Iowa.

Jonas van Stappen, director of development for NextEra Energy Resources, said the company is proud to bring the project to fruition with Alliant Energy.

“Pleasant Creek Solar is a testament to the positive impact that innovative renewable energy projects can have on local communities and the broader energy landscape,” van Stappen said in a statement. “This collaboration underscores our commitment to advancing clean energy solutions and creating sustainable value for future generations.”

Alliant has added approximately 1,500 megawatts of utility-scale solar energy resources across Iowa and Wisconsin since 2022.

The company has announced it plans to add another battery storage facility — its fifth in Iowa — that would come online by the end of 2026. The storage site proposed in Lansing, where the company retired its coal plant in October 2020, would have the capacity for 280 megawatts.

Olivia Cohen covers energy and environment for The Gazette and is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

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Comments: olivia.cohen@thegazette.com