Board Action: Iowa Energy Center Board Awards $2.7 Million in Energy Grants; Elects New Board Leadership
For more information contact:
Ms. Kanan Kappelman
515.348.6248
communications@iowaeda.com
Iowa Energy Center board awards $2.7 million in energy grants; elects new board leadership
September 17, 2020 (Des Moines) – The Iowa Energy Center (IEC) announced $2,721,102 in grants to 11 projects at today’s board meeting in Des Moines. The IEC grant program is funded by Iowa ratepayers, customers who pay for an electric or natural gas utility service through a local electric and/or gas utility. These funds enable eligible applicants to pursue projects that align with one of the seven key focus areas of the Iowa Energy Plan.
“Iowa is the proud home to a robust and diverse mix of energy resources, advantages and talented professionals,” said Debi Durham, executive director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and the Iowa Finance Authority. “The varied projects funded today are a great example of Iowa further investing to advance our energy economy.”
The IEC received 65 pre-applications, totaling more than $18 million in funding requests. Twenty-two projects, requesting nearly $6 million, completed a full application. Applications were reviewed and scored by a committee of the IEC board members based on alignment with the Iowa Energy Plan, the ratepayer benefit provided, project goals, programmatic capabilities of the applicant and collaboration efforts with other eligible applicants, among other criteria.
In other business, the board elected new leadership. Joel Schmidt with Alliant Energy was elected board chair and Dan Nickey with the University of Northern Iowa was elected vice chair.
“I am very proud of the accomplishments of the Iowa Energy Center during my tenure as board chair,” said outgoing board chair Tim Whipple of MidAmerican Energy. “Under IEDA’s leadership, we have established grant and loan programs that implement the Iowa Energy Plan, and we’ve created administrative and governance structures that make the programs accountable and transparent in their use of ratepayer funds. It’s now time to pass the torch of board leadership.”
The IEC is managed by IEDA and overseen by a governor-appointed board composed of representatives from academia, state government and the utilities. For more information on the IEC and to view a list of current Board members, visit here.
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Awards:
|
Organization |
Project Name |
Award |
|
University of Northern Iowa |
Iowa Rural Energy Planning |
$395,680 |
|
Iowa State University |
Paired Electrolyzer for Conversion of Crude Glycerin and Waste CO2 |
$156,000 |
|
University of Northern Iowa |
Developing an Iowa Energy Curriculum for Secondary Classrooms |
$418,696 |
|
Iowa State University |
Low-cost Biobased Composite Material for Ultra durable and Recyclable Wind Turbine Blades |
$450,436 |
|
Iowa State University |
An Origami Structural Design for Natural Gas Pipeline Rehabilitation |
$266,720 |
|
The Energy Group |
Iowa Rural Healthcare Micro-Grid Feasibility Analysis |
$69,000 |
|
Energy Association of Iowa Schools |
Grow Energy Workforce Development Program for Rural Iowa Communities |
$190,000 |
|
Iowa State University |
Storing Excess Solar/Wind Electricity as Biorenewable Fuels by Electrocatalytic Biomass Conversion |
$239,227 |
|
Iowa State University |
Predicting Battery Lifetime with Early-Life Data for Grid Applications |
$280,070 |
|
Iowa State University |
Improve Battery Energy Efficiency Via Structural Design and 3D Printing for Electric Vehicles |
$244,698 |
|
Building Enclosure Council of Iowa |
Building Enclosure Council of Iowa Education Program |
$10,575 |
