From idea to energy

A Q & A with Alliant Energy’s Director of Project Development, Ben Lipari
 
     I sat down with Alliant Energy’s Media Relations Representative Justin Faus and Director of Project Development Ben Lipari, to explain Alliant Energy’s commitment to Franklin County and the finer details of creating a wind farm.
     Alliant announced, this past July, its plans to expand its Whispering Willow wind farm. The project will invest approximately $1 billion in up to 500 megawatts of renewable energy, over five years, generating million in property taxes for Franklin County, and providing 1,500 jobs at the height of construction, to the state of Iowa. The site is expected to be operational in 2020.
     Interview answers were edited for conciseness.
 
Alliant has two of its four wind farms in Franklin County, and the expansion of one of them was announced this year, what is it about Franklin County when it comes to wind energy?
Lipari: There’s a reason why we have targeted Franklin County. It’s really one of the core categories in wind development and that’s a receptive community and receptive local landowners. As you can imagine, you’re not building a wind farm unless you have general receptivity from community leaders and local officials.
     Another is the ability to access good wind and high wind speeds. Developments in technology allow in flexibility and opportunities for increased performance in what was considered poor wind regimes, four-to-five years ago. Franklin County is a very high performing wind area as evidenced by the wind facilities. And what we introduced and see is improved performance out of these new sites, based on advantages with upgrades to technology in turbines. Franklin County has some of the best wind resources available in Iowa, given our existing facilities, in regards to place, land right of leases with land owners — it really takes you that much farther along in the wind development process, having acquired those rights.
     Another topic is permit feasibility. When we look at a site, we come up with project boundaries and assess what we can do within those boundaries; it can influence the project based on ability to permit the site. There’s a whole host of different topics of how you permit, which project might be less influenced than other sites. Certainly you get into avian consideration and bat studies based on where the site’s  located. 
 
    Read the full article in the November 9 edition of the Hampton Chronicle.