by Nicholas Romano, Green Iowa Corps Education Coordinator Ideal Energy A leader in Iowa solar industries since 2009, Ideal Energy has engaged in solar installation, financing, power purchasing agreements, battery storage, and now research into the Gren Hydrogen arena. Amy Vanbeek and Troy Vanbeek co-founded Ideal Energy after recognizing the need for renewable energy based on the world’s reliance on finite carbon-based energy sources. Now they are piloting the production
Joel Zook, Energy Planner 2022 started off with an announcement from Ford that it will double production of its Ford Lightning to 150,000 vehicles per year. Ford revealed the Ford F150 Lightning in May of 2021, with preorders available for vehicles rolling off the line in spring 2022. The decision to increase production was likely due to the popularity of the newly launched EV and the large number of reservation.
Martin Donovan, Green Iowa Americorps When you’re cooking up ways to increase the efficiency of your home, upgrading your stove to an induction cooktop could be a fun and useful thing to consider. Unlike electric or gas cooktops, induction burners directly heat pots and pans. But what does direct heat actually mean? When cooking with electric stoves, a lot of energy is used to heat metal coils which then heats
Cody Smith, Policy Associate at the Center for Rural Affairs, works on midwest policies that help amplify the positive effects of clean energy. There are many opportunity to combine clean, renewable energy infrastructure with beneficial habitat for native species. Whether planting pollinator habitat under solar panels, creating migratory bird corridors along transmission lines, or improving habitat around wind turbines, there are lots of exciting ways to link clean energy and
Joel Zook, Energy Planner Alliant Energy has doubled the amount of their residential rebates and dramatically increased the rebate amount for their small business lighting rebate program. The increased rebate levels are only good through the end of the year so act now to take advantage of them. If you’ve been thinking of upgrading your home’s cooling system, or adding a heat pump to supplement your gas furnace, act now
By Joel Zook, Energy Planner These truly are unprecedented times. With the partial shutdown of our economy that is now slowly crawling back, it’s hard to know what the “new normal” will look like. We do know however, that there are good opportunities to invest in our local economy through energy efficiency and renewable energy. Those investments will help create a more robust and resilient economy. Money that we can
Kristin Eggen, Communications Specialist, Winneshiek Energy District December 31, 2019 Shippable Solar kits for faraway lands? Snacks from the byproduct of beer-making? Carbon accounting apps? Yes, these all exist and were showcased at the GreenBIZ VERGE19 conference, in addition to dozens of industry experts from around the country. My colleague Joel Zook and I had the privilege to attend VERGE19 in Oakland, CA October 22-24 with support from the Solutions
The Winneshiek Energy District recognizes and applauds the process the city is going through to craft a comprehensive sustainability plan. We have been contributing to the energy portion of this plan and believe that this tool will help propel the community of Decorah toward a more sustainable future. We encourage all Decorah residents to take a look and submit their thoughts and suggestions through the Decorah Sustainability Plan Feedback Form.
This article is an excerpt from the Department of Energy’s page on LED lighting. We love how it takes into account the longevity of an LED strand and lays out the math of electrical use. LED Holiday Lights LEDs consume far less electricity than incandescent bulbs, and decorative LED light strings such as Christmas tree lights are no different. Not only do LED holiday lights consume less electricity, they also
Can changing who delivers your electricity to you solve a slew of problems? SCOTTY HENDRICKS (A Decorah native!) 26 November 2019 Repost from Bigthink.com Cities and movements across the country are considering running their own electric utilities. These operations, known as municipal utilities, are already widespread and have a respectable track record. Representatives of the campaigns to implement municipal control see this as a path to a green, democratic