Decorah, IA – The Winneshiek Energy District’s March Energy Breakfast will feature Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative’s Executive Vice President/General Manager Paul Foxwell at 7:30am on Tuesday, February 21st at T-Bock’s Underground. Foxwell will shed light on electric rate-making principles, consumer owned cooperatives and upcoming projects at the cooperative. Foxwell has been employed at Allamakee-Clayton since 1989 when he was hired as the Engineering Operations Manager, later assuming the General Manager position
New community organization urges city to consider its options Decorah (IA) – The concept of the City of Decorah becoming its own municipal electrical utility (MEU) was presented to the Decorah City Council’s utility committee on Monday night. The presentation was made by Decorah Power, a new non-profit comprised of Decorah area residents formed to explore the option. “This is about opportunities”, stated Decorah Power President Larry Grimstad in introduction.
Published in Oneota Co-op’s The SCOOP, Winter 2016 Edition, December 1, 2016. On my fridge there’s a magnet that says “Yay! Local!” Maybe you have seen such magnets, marked by enthusiastic sentiments such as “Yay! Cats!” “Yay! Gnomes!” “Yay! Bacon!” We are in an enthusiasm epidemic. Compared to cats, gnomes, or bacon, the noun “Local” may come off as being oddly abstract or lacking trendy cuteness, yet we show up
What are the challenges facing rural communities in Northeast Iowa? How can communities proactively address these challenges to create thriving, resilient communities? These questions and more will shape a community forum and conversation featuring work in Northeast Iowa as well as conversation about the future of rural communities. The goals of these forums are to share the results of work in the region, engage community leaders and stakeholders in a
Decorah is becoming known as a progressive community, and the Winneshiek Energy District is doing its part to promote energy sustainability. Two recent newsworthy announcements confirm Decorah as a statewide leader in green building and energy efficiency. For the past year the Energy District has facilitated the Energy Star application and certification process for many commercial buildings in Decorah. First Lutheran Church and First United Methodist Church became two of
If you see lots of movement on the roof of the Oneota Community Food Co-op in the coming weeks, don’t be surprised. The Co-op is currently installing a 20,000 watt solar array on the roof of their building located at 312 West Water St. in downtown Decorah. This will be one of the largest downtown solar projects in Decorah and will supply approximately 5% of the Co-op’s electricity in a
Note: This guest post was written by Luke Stennes, a WED summer intern in 2013. My name is Luke Stennes and I’ve been working as an intern with the Winneshiek Energy District for the summer. I applied for the position because I did not know very much at all about sustainable energy, and I wanted to increase that knowledge by getting involved in the community. The objective of my position was
If the sun shines on a solar panel but no one’s there to see it, does it make a watt? Ok, so that’s not so much an ancient proverb, but I think it’s fitting in our current day and age. Solar panels are being installed at a tremendous rate these days with fewer and fewer in high visibility locations. One might never know that there are over 80 kilowatts (kW)
Decorah is on the map again for efforts in sustainable energy and climate change. This time the focus is not on the renewable energy itself but on the “solar renewable energy credits” (or SRECs) associated with the solar energy produced. SRECs are a form of carbon (or greenhouse gas emissions) trading, and though it’s a relatively new idea to Americans, even the Super Bowl is now involved. “The local trading
You’ve probably seen those yellow Energy Star labels on appliances, but did you know that entire buildings can also be awarded an Energy Star designation? Through 2012, the following seven buildings in Decorah have received this recognition, the first five through assistance from Winneshiek Energy District, an Energy Star Partner. First Lutheran Church Good Shepherd Lutheran Church First United Methodist Church of Decorah Erdman Engineering Ace Hardware Oneota Community Coop