New Report Shows Iowa Leads Nation for Wind Energy

(Des Moines) — The move to more renewable sources of energy is proving to be a breeze locally, with a new study showing that Iowa leads the nation for wind power.

Mike Prior is executive director of Iowa Wind Energy Association, which issued the report. He says more than 28 percent of the energy produced in Iowa now comes from wind generation, the highest percentage of any state.

“And by the end of 2015, our expected megawatt total will be 6,300, which will be over about 30 percent of our entire generation for the state of Iowa that will come from wind energy,” he adds.

In addition to good wind resources, Prior credits the utilities in the state in helping to lead the way to more wind generation, along with supportive state lawmakers and policies.

Prior notes that wind energy is affordable energy, as electricity rates in Iowa have remained below the national average as the amount of wind generation has grown steadily over the past decade.

“For example, Iowa’s electricity rates are 30 percent lower than Wisconsin electric rates, and Wisconsin only gets about 2 percent of its energy from wind power, compared to our 28.5 percent,” he points out.

Prior also says wind energy is good for the local economy, with about 6,000 Iowans employed in the industry, and landowners receiving more than $16 million annually in wind turbine land lease payments.

New Report Shows Iowa Leads Nation for Wind Energy

Himes leads talk of renewable energy for Earth Day

By Justin Pottle

Earth Day is, of course, a celebration of our planet and all its curiosities and wonders. At the same time, the event casts light on those things that threaten our home; things like climate change and energy scarcity.

For dozens of local conservationists and energy wonks who crowded Greenwich’s Audobon Center Tuesday afternoon, among them U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-4th), Earth Day was also about finding solutions to those problems.

“The challenges are immense,” said Himes, who lead a roundtable discussion on financing clean and green energy. “But the opportunities are as well. I want to strike an optimistic note.”

The talk didn’t focus simply on what was at stake — in a room overlooking the Audobon Center’s wooded, backcountry grounds, and surrounded by stately prints of native birds, that much was clear — but rather how to pay for and incentivize the measures needed to build a green economy and slow global climate change.

The economic impact of a nationwide push to lower carbon emissions and adopt more renewable energy at the expense of fossil fuels could by massive, said Himes.

“Eventually when we get the clean, sustainable energy revolution right, it will dwarf the wealth creation and the job creation of the IT revolution,” he said. “In the back of my mind, I’m always asking myself, `why are we not more aggressively leading that revolution the way we did the IT revolution?’”

Himes cited federal stimulus funds “dramatically accelerating” the country’s understanding of and its market share in the energy storage and battery industry. But the measures need not be so direct, the congressman suggested. The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, a new bill promoting new energy efficiency standards sponsored by Sens. Jean Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), has been gaining fast traction with both parties in the Senate. Bills like Shaheen-Portman, as it has become known, are both good for both business and the planet, said Himes.

“It’s estimated to save as much energy as you would save from taking 22 million cars off the road,” said Himes. “There are huge savings for people who use energy, which is, of course, all of us.”

Himes also previewed a new bill he has been working on that would help guarantee energy savings for green residences and translate them into extra mortgage for further improvements.

But simply focusing on efficiency and green technology perks won’t be enough, he said.

“Everything I’ve talked about today — green banks, energy efficiency, the fact that such a dysfunctional Congress found a way to get Shaheen-Portman in — that’s all great,” he said. “But it’s not adequate to the task at hand, particularly from the standpoint of climate change.”

Eventually, more significant steps would need to be taken, like pricing in the externalities of carbon use, essentially adding to the price of carbon to account for the environmental damage it would cause.

“That basically means paying for the mess you make,” said Himes

Also speaking Thursday were Mark Robbins of the Connecticut Green Building Council and Bryan Garcia, president and CEO of the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, the country’s first state-level renewable-energy financing organization. The duo explained how their organizations offer practical, market-driven steps toward increasing adoption of green energy.

“What we’re on the cusp of is a new model that says we need to look at, in this time of budget constraints, how we incentivize the energy market and how we can do it in a way that attracts more private investment,” said Garcia.

Himes leads talk of renewable energy for Earth Day

Isle company's expansion leads to job creation

The expansion of an Isle business has led to 12 new jobs with more vacancies being advertised currently.

Epworth man Roger Priestnall invested in renewable energy solutions three years ago. He has run his Rolec business for 17 years and in the past 12 months has increased his work force from two to 14.

As people seek to reduce their energy bills by installing solar panels, his new venture has taken off, leading to the expansion of his company.

Demand has continued to grow and Mr Priestnall, 38. is now seeking office staff and sales advisors, with future plans for a call centre employing 15 people.

His fiancee Jayne Anderson has joined the business due to the surge in workload, although her background originally is in nursing and health visiting.

She said: “Roger branched out after identifying gaps in the market and a general lack of customer knowledge about the Government’s financial support for homeowners.

“Solar panels are a fantastic investment and with Government pay back schemes they ensure a profit for customers. Roger has been to Germany recently to personally see how solarworld solar panels are made, to ensure his products are of premium quality.”

All staff employed by the company are from the Isle, and include two apprentices from Haxey and Westwoodside, who were taken on this year.

Mr Priestnall’s sister has joined the staff too as one of the installation team.

The take-up of solar panels locally in the Isle mirrors that of the national picture, added Jayne, as over 500,000 home owners are generating their own electricity across the country, and taking advantage of the current subsidy that rewards those who do so.

Mr Priestnall said that strong reductions in the cost of solar panels have helped the growth of his business too, while enabling home owners to reduce their energy bills.

“We have plans for the call centre and have acquired new premises to facilitate expected growth,” said Jayne. Rolec has serviced over 65 homes within the Isle, and has a scheme offering cash rewards for referrals to other customers.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.

Isle company"s expansion leads to job creation