We asked our Trends for 2019 contributors to think about what trends may come up in the next ten years – from main street businesses to university research and everything in between. Take a peek at some of the responses below, and view the full cover story in the Business Record on Jan. 4.Jayne Armstrong, […]

The Iowa Utilities Board is considering regulations around electric vehicle charging stations after Alliant Energy protested the Iowa 80 Truckstop’s plans to offer stations, reports the Midwest Energy News Network. Under the Iowa 80 Truckstop’s proposal, customers would be charged for each kilowatt hour put into a vehicle; Alliant Energy, the truckstop’s electric utility, claims […]

The Iowa Economic Development Authority has granted a $200,000 grant to Fairfield-based Ideal Energy for two projects to study storing wind energy in batteries, the Energy News Network reported. The Fairfield firm will pass information along to Iowa State University for analysis. “We think there is much potential in this state for storage applications,” said […]

MidAmerican Energy is adding hundreds of smart sensors to electric lines in an effort to identify the source of power outages faster and send crews directly to the source, MidAmerican Energy announced on Wednesday. The devices, called remote fault indicators, attach to power lines and transmit outage and location details to MidAmerican Energy control room […]

Representatives from Tesla Motors visited with team members of Ruan Transportation Management Systems and several Ruan customers in Des Moines this week for a preview of Tesla’s electric-powered tractor-trailer. Ruan in January reserved five of the new semis for delivery and testing next year. Prototypes of the semi have been traveling the country, making stops […]

After announcing plans to close the Duane Arnold Energy Center five years early, NextEra Energy will likely spend more than $400 million to decommission the plant’s operations, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission estimates the process to clean the site will take decades, reports the Corridor Business Journal.

The drop in cost for natural gas and wind energy to produce electricity was a key factor in the decision to close Iowa’s only nuclear power plant in 2020, five years earlier than projected, Radio Iowa reports. Alliant Energy spokesman Justin Foss said ending Alliant’s purchase of power contract with the Duane Arnold Energy Center […]

Days after majority plant owner NextEra Energy and customer Alliant Energy announced the early closure of the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC), the plant’s largest minority owner said that despite concerns, it shared “guarded optimism” that the closure will be positive for the state, reports the Corridor Business Journal. Leaders of Central Iowa Power Co-op […]

Alliant Energy and Invenergy have signed contracts to complete development of a 210-megawatt (MW) Richland Wind Farm in Sac County, reports the Corridor Business Journal. The move is part of Alliant Energy’s plan to add 1,000 megawatt wind generation to Iowa businesses and communities by 2020 – enough to power 430,000 thousand average Iowa homes. […]

A new five-year plan filed to the Iowa Utilities Board could restrict access to home energy audits and other existing discounts for customers, Midwest Energy News reports. Representatives at MidAmerican Energy and Alliant subsidiary Interstate Power & Light say the new plan, which includes terminating subsidies for LED bulbs and ending insulation incentives for the majority of […]