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Iowa needs reliable, affordable energy

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By Nancy Varner, director, Eastern Iowa REC, Blue Grass | Thursday, April 24, 2008 |

Energy efficiency has gained a lot of attention recently with growing pressure for consumers and energy producers to make wiser energy decisions. As a member of Eastern Iowa Light and Power Co-op, I am proud of the efforts of electric co-ops in Iowa to promote and invest in energy efficiency. Our co-op is a member of Central Iowa Power Co-op (CIPCO) which supplies our power and power to a number of rural electric co-ops across the state. Due to system improvements, CIPCO estimates 22 million KW hours are being saved annually and carbon emissions have been reduced by 23,000 tons per year. This is very important, but energy efficiency alone cannot make up for the growing demand. That is why CIPCO has partnered with Alliant Energy and others to build a new power plant near Marshalltown. I support this plant not only because it will use the latest technology to make it the cleanest and most efficient coal plant in Iowa, but also because it will be a high-efficiency hybrid plant which can burn renewable resources as such as switch grass or corn stalks.

If the economy and the state of Iowa are to grow we must have a reliable and affordable source of electricity. At the same time the electric co-ops of Iowa will continue to work to improve energy efficiency at all levels.