By BF Editors
From the January/February 2024 Issue
A strong economy and public power go hand-in-hand, according to the American Public Power Association (APPA).
The industry’s annual revenue is sitting at roughly $60 billion, according to APPA, giving the opportunity for utility companies to put those funds back into local communities through actions that can include:
- Payments in lieu of taxes.
- Providing hometown jobs.
- Offering free or reduced cost electric services.
- Supporting local causes and charities.
Business Facilities staff have selected the following companies (in alphabetical order) as Top Utilities for their work in advancing the industry, engaging the community, and helping to bring economic development to their coverage areas.
ALLIANT ENERGY
Cedar Rapids, IA
Dennis E. Jordan, MBA
Director of Customer, Community & Economic Development
319 270-5086
DennisJordan@alliantenergy.com
Madison, WI
Coleman Peiffer
Manager Customer and Community Development
(O): 608-458-5604 | (C): 262-309-0010
colemanpeiffer@alliantenergy.com
AlliantEnergy.com
Alliant Energy Corporation provides regulated energy service to 995,000 electric and 425,000 natural gas customers across Iowa and Wisconsin. Alliant Energy’s mission is to deliver energy solutions and exceptional service that customers and communities count on— safely, efficiently, and responsibly. Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) and Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL) are Alliant Energy’s two public energy companies.
Alliant Energy is a component of the Nasdaq CRD Sustainability Index, Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index, and the S&P 500.
Wisconsin: Data Center Sales and Use Tax Exemption—Alliant Energy successfully worked with state legislators and leaders to create the state’s first sales and use tax exemption for data centers.
This exemption has leveled the playing field allowing Wisconsin to be more competitive in the data center environment.
As a result, Microsoft announced the construction of a $1 billion data center in Racine, WI, with several more data centers considering Wisconsin for their next data center project.
Iowa: Alliant Energy’s Customer-Hosted Renewables program enables customers to host solar facilities and receive lease payments and renewable energy credits. We oversee construction of the facility and own, operate, and maintain it. There is no upfront financing or cost to the customer. As of December 2023, 10 projects in Iowa and Wisconsin have been announced.
Two of the projects are in partnership with Iowa State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These solar farms will not only generate energy, but provide agriculture research, education, and more.
Alliant also brings affordable solar to customers through its community solar program, which has fully subscribed sites in Iowa and Wisconsin.
Alliant Energy has been selected for a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations for a proposed 200 MW energy storage system.
The battery system would be the first-of-its-kind in the United States and represents a significant advancement toward a more sustainable, reliable, and cost-effective energy future.
The project would utilize an innovative design by Energy Dome to deliver 10 hours of energy storage capacity by compressing carbon dioxide (CO2) gas into a liquid. When that energy is needed, the system converts the liquid CO2 back to a gas which powers a turbine to create electricity.
Alliant Energy is partnering with Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corp., to advance a 5-megawatt solar project. The 32-acre project in eastern Fond du Lac County will further Mercury Marine’s sustainability initiatives and the region’s growing commitment to renewable energy.
It is the first project to receive approval under the Alliant Energy Renewable Energy Partner Tariff. The project will include more than 12,000 solar panels generating enough electricity to power approximately 1,300 homes annually, enough to off set approximately 10% of the electricity Mercury Marine uses at their Fond du Lac campus.
