AMES, IOWA – April 17, 2012 – Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), an Alliant Energy company, recognizes EPCO Carbon Dioxide Products, Inc.for its commitment to using energy efficiently and being green.
EPCO was honored with a 2011 Excellence in Energy Efficiency Award for its leadership and vision in integrating energy efficiency in to the design, construction, or operation of their business. The company accepted this award today at the 2012 Iowa Energy Summit, held in Cedar Rapids.
EPCO converts waste CO2 into a pure form for use in the food, beverage, chemical and oil industries. EPCO moved their facility to locate near an ethanol plant with a cleaner CO2 stream and implemented process improvements that resulted in less energy being used to refine the CO2 to acceptable industry levels.
Prior to this project, EPCO produced about 210 tons of CO2 per day. With the improvements, EPCO increased their production to 316 tons of CO2 per day (a 50 percent increase in production) without increasing energy usage. The upgrades are expected to save 4,212,373 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually.
“EPCO’s ability to reduce energy cost is critical to our profitability. Energy is one of our biggest expenses and being able to work with Alliant Energy was critical in the success of our Nevada facility,” says Scott Austin, General Manager Midwest Region. “This project has allowed us to stay competitive in the central Iowa market.”
“Energy efficiency addresses both energy cost concerns and our environment,” said Tom Aller, President of IPL. “We’re recognizing EPCO for the impact and leadership shown.”
Alliant Energy awarded the 2011 Excellence in Energy Efficiency Awards to its commercial and industrial customers who underwent energy efficiency initiatives that yielded the highest cost and energy-savings. The 2012 Energy Summit provided attendees with a variety of energy-related educational sessions, technical information and energy solutions.
Media Contact: Justin Foss (319) 786-4788