Press release
Alliant Energy's English Farms and Upland Prairie Wind Farms Earn Envision Platinum Award for Sustainable Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced today that two of Alliant Energy's Wind Farms – Upland
About this update from Alliant Energy Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"WASHINGTON, July 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced today that two of Alliant Energy's Wind Farms – Upland Prairie and English Farms – located in Everly and Montezuma, Iowa respectively are the recent recipients of the Envision® Platinum award for sustainable infrastructure. To earn Envision Platinum, a project must demonstrate it delivers a heightened range of environmental, social, and economic benefits to the host and affected communities. \n\n \nAlliant Energy, a Midwest energy company engaged in electric generation and the distribution of electricity and natural gas, expects to increase its renewable energy capacity from 20% in 2018 to 33% by 2024. Completion of the Upland Prairie and English Farms Wind Farms with the projected combined energy capacity of 470 megawatts, is a significant contributor to meeting this goal. The electricity generated by these two wind farms will be enough to power approximately 168,000 Iowa homes per year.\nThe project team selected the wind turbines based on several key factors, including high-performance, durability and noise reduction. The new turbines selected by Alliant Energy can withstand higher wind speeds, have a lower cut-in wind speed and have a higher capacity factor, as compared to previous models. As a result, customers will see benefits from more low-cost energy. With higher-performing turbines, fewer units are needed per project. This minimizes disturbance to ecologically sensitive areas, like wetlands, on the project site. \n\"These two projects are part of a larger expansion of wind energy for our customers. We're using advanced wind turbine technology to provide emission-free and cost-effective energy for our customers for decades,\" said Terry Kouba, President of Alliant Energy's Iowa energy company. \"We are continuing to transition our generating fleet to cleaner, more cost-effective sources, which will promote a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2050.\"\nAlliant Energy worked in close collaboration with General Electric Renewable Energy, Black & Veatch and White Construction to deliver these award-winning sustainable projects. \n\"Alliant Energy's commitment to increasing its production of renewable energy makes good sense, both environmentally and economically,\" said Melissa Peneycad, ...