Alliant Energy announced last week that it has entered into an agreement with Top Deck Farms of Westgate, Iowa, to produce electricity from livestock manure. Top Deck Farms will use about one third of the electricity generated and sell back the remaining power to Alliant Energy. The facility will produce enough electricity to power roughly 50 homes. See the October 23rd press release on the Alliant Energy Web site . The site includes the contest schedule, a full description of each event, a downloadable Request for Proposal, and contest rules and regulations.
Potential sponsors can also learn how they can participate.
30,000 Annual Deaths A report released last week by several environmental groups charges that fine particle soot from U.S. power plants shortens the lives of 30,000 people each year, while causing 603,000 asthma attacks annually. The report finds the highest per capita impact in the states of Kentucky, West Virginia, and Alabama. It estimates that 18,700 deaths and 366,000 asthma attacks can be avoided each year by reducing power plant emissions by 75 percent. The site ranks vehicles on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the cleanest vehicles. Certain models of the Nissan Sentra, Toyota Prius and Honda Accord rated a 10, but those models are only available in California and some states in the Northeast.