The Ahrens Park solar array is part of the Grinnell Solar Park project. Alliant Energy collaborated with four Grinnell, Iowa community partners to develop the 5 megawatt (MW) Grinnell Solar Park through their Customer-Hosted Renewables program, which allows businesses and communities to host solar farms or battery storage systems on their land in exchange for monthly lease payments.

The solar park is located on a former brownfield site on Grinnell's west side, where the partners collaborated with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to restore the land. Native grasses were planted to control erosion, filter groundwater, and provide habitat for pollinators and birds.

The City of Grinnell subdivided this restored site and sold tracts to three other partners, including Ahrens Park. Each partner owns their portion of the land within a single fenced area and leases it to Alliant Energy, which built individual solar arrays for each participant.

About Ahrens Park

Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park, opened in 1994 and operated by the Ahrens Park Foundation, is a 40-acre park featuring softball, baseball, and soccer fields, tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts, multiple playground areas and shelters, and several community areas, including a community garden, dog park, and walking path. Its state-of-the-art playgrounds offer inclusive play areas with accessible features and sensory play panels. The foundation partners with local organizations to support community recreation, wellness, and educational programs. 

Specifications

System Size: 499 kW DC / 375 kW

Modules: (728) Canadian Solar CS7N-685TB-AG bifacial

Electrical Interconnection: 24.9 kV line

Inverters: (1) Solectria XGI 250kW @ 600V and (1) Solectria XGI 125kW @ 600V

Racking & Mounting: ground-mounted fixed-tilt @ 25°