CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Alliant Energy has opened a new battery complex in Cedar Rapids that it says doubles its energy storage in Iowa and enables more growth in renewable energy like wind and solar. The 5-megawatt facility next to Alliant’s Deer Run substation can store enough electricity to power 5,000 homes for two hours. Previously, Alliant had just .5-megawatts of energy storage available in Iowa. The energy storage systems allow Alliant to store energy when demand is low and release it later. Battery storage systems are seen as a key piece to expanding renewable energy in order to offset days when wind and solar power generation is lower. For example, batteries can store solar power generated on sunny days for use on overcast days when solar power generation is lower. The new battery site is a significant upgrade in both capacity and technology for Alliant.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – On Tuesday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and the Department of Management Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) announced a new statewide broadband map that reports the conditions of broadband availability. The new map provides more detail and identifies the broadband service available as reported by broadband providers. Locations with slower broadband speeds (under 100 mbps upload/20 mbps download) may be eligible for future grant funding opportunities issued by the Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Program. “We are making important progress to connect all Iowans to high-speed broadband, but many communities remain unserved,” said Gov. Reynolds. “Today, I’m asking all Iowans to visit the broadband map and let us know if the broadband service reported at their location is inaccurate. This feedback will help us to direct resources to areas with the greatest need for broadband investment in the future.”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Four eastern Iowa media organizations are joining a nonprofit media rights group in filing a lawsuit against the Bettendorf school board and other officials after they blocked journalists from covering a meeting about school violence that was attended by hundreds of people. The lawsuit filed Monday by the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, the Quad-City Times and television stations KWQC, WQAD and WHBF asks a state court judge to find the school district in violation of Iowa’s open meetings law and to issue an injunction prohibiting the school board from violating the statute in the future. The lawsuit also asks the court to fine members of the board who took part in the meeting held on May 25.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – A $13,846 grant from the Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation will allow the City of Iowa City to upgrade its community water fluoridation equipment and purchase lab equipment and supplies. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, water fluoridation prevents 25 percent of tooth decay for all age groups and every $1 spent on community water fluoridation saves $38 in dental treatment costs. The grant will replace aged fluoride management equipment and acquire lab testing equipment and supplies to ensure the safety and stability of the City’s water supply.
