Download - See page 5 - Co-op Web Builder 3swiarec.coopwebbuilder2.com/sites/swiarec/files/LWEII/2018_02_Fe… · Miracle-Gro AeroGarden to grow h usee ctr tbseahfnred l , hor etneegs r –

YEARSOF THE YOUTH TOUR

Win a soil-free indoor garden to start your favorite veggies and flowers for spring! See page 5

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Visit our website at www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com High school students:

Enter our 2018Youth Tour Contest

now to win anall-expenses-paid tripto Washington, D.C.!

2 LIVING WITH ENERGY IN IOWA February 2018

Volume 71 • Issue 2E D I T O R

Robert A. Dickelman

A R T D I R E C T O RJoel Clifton

R E G U L A R C O N T R I B U T O R SBuck Jones Ruth Rasmussen Valerie Van Kooten

________________________

E X E C U T I V E V I C E P R E S I D E N TChuck Soderberg

D I R E C T O R O F C O M M U N I C AT I O N SErin Campbell

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R SSteve Siedl, Coon Rapids – President

Don Shonka, Independence – Vice PresidentLarry White, Mount Pleasant – Secretary/Treasurer

Roger Solomonson, Leland – Asst. Secretary/TreasurerGordon Greimann, Sheffield

Neal Heldt, MallardDarrell Jensen, Menlo

Marion Denger, Dows – NRECA RepresentativeCarmen Hosack, Harlan ________________________

Living with Energy in Iowa magazine (ISSN: 1935-7176) is published monthly by the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, a not-for-profit organization representing Iowa’s member-owned local electric cooperatives. Association address: 8525 Douglas Ave., Suite 48, Des Moines, IA 50322-2992. The phrase Living with Energy in Iowa is a mark registered within the state of Iowa to the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives. The magazine does not accept advertising.

Editorial Office: 8525 Douglas Ave., Suite 48, Des Moines, IA 50322-2992. Telephone: 515-276-5350. E-mail address: [email protected]. Letters may be edited for clarity and length before publication. Living with Energy in Iowa magazine does not assume responsibility for unsolicited items.

Website: www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com

Postmaster: Send address changes to Living with Energy in Iowa magazine, 8525 Douglas Ave., Suite 48, Des Moines, IA 50322-2992. Periodicals Postage Paid at Des Moines, Iowa, and at additional mailing offices.

Change of Address: Every local electric cooperative maintains an independent mailing list of its members, so please send your change of address directly to your local electric cooperative’s office. Living with Energy in Iowa magazine cannot make an address change for you.

© Copyright 2018, Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives. No portion of the editorial, photographic or other content of Living with Energy in Iowa magazine or its website may be reproduced without written permission of the editor.

Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives

Features

6 60 years: Win a trip to Washington, D.C., to help us celebrate!

High school sophomores, juniors and seniors: There are two good reasons you should enter our 6th Annual Contest to score an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation’s capital this June.

8 Recipes with 5 ingredients (or fewer) Starved for time? Try one of these

simple solutions! PLUS: Receive a $25 credit on your power bill if we include your favorite recipe that’s been passed down from generation to generation.

10 What’s hot? The way you get most of your electricity

We depend on electricity 24/7, but have you ever wondered how it’s made – or where it comes from? Here are the basics on one of the most important forces in your everyday life.

C O N T E N T S F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Favorites

3 Statewide Perspective We all play a role in increasing

Iowa’s declining monarch butterfly population.

5 Editor’s Choice Contest Win a soil-free indoor garden to

start your favorite veggies and flowers for spring!

14 Youth Tour Here’s the Itinerary for the 2018

Youth Tour.

15 Out Back Confusion between rats and

mice was embarrassing.

6

8

10

Energy-saving tip of the month

Before you seal air leaks in furnace duct joints with duct mastic or metal duct tape, clean dust and dirt from the area. Use a vacuum with a round furniture brush in most spots – and a dusting tool like a flexible Swiffer Duster for tight, hard-to-reach areas.

Have you seen our website?

www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com

Photo: Candice Jaenisch

February 2018 LIVING WITH ENERGY IN IOWA 3

Iowa is well known for being the center of agriculture, which includes leading the nation in providing corn, soybeans, pork and eggs. What many people may not realize is that Iowa is also the center of the monarch butterfly’s breeding range. This is important, because the monarch butterfly population has experienced an 80 percent decline during the past 2 decades.

The significant population decline of this beautiful and treasured butterfly stems from the loss of milkweed habitat (the only food source for the monarch caterpillar), diminished overwintering habitat in Mexico and extreme weather events.

The annual North American monarch migration is one of the longest and most spectacular insect migrations globally. Each fall, millions of monarch butterflies leave their summer breeding areas in the U.S. and Canada, traveling some 3,000 miles to reach overwintering grounds in southwestern Mexico.

Iowa is in the center of the monarch’s summer breeding range. In fact, approximately 40 percent of all monarch butterflies that overwinter in Mexico are estimated to come from Iowa and neighboring Midwest states. Creating additional monarch habitat in Iowa can play a major role in the butterflies’ recovery and help to prevent it from becoming an endangered species.

Iowa’s electric cooperatives, along with other utilities in the state, have joined the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, an organization that’s implementing a statewide strategy to protect the monarch butterfly in Iowa. As a community-led organization, the consortium works with farmers, private citizens and organizations

S T A T E W I D E P E R S P E C T I V E

We all play a role in increasing Iowa’s declining monarch butterfly populationBY ETHAN HOHENADEL

to enhance monarch butterfly reproduction and survival. Joining this effort is a natural fit for Iowa’s not-for-

profit electric cooperatives, which serve more than 80 percent of the state’s land mass.

Since monarch caterpillars need milkweed to survive, one of the primary conservation goals is to establish milkweed as part of healthy natural

ecosystems. Farm acres that are less than ideal for production and areas that are dedicated to conservation programs all provide useful areas for establishing monarch habitats.

In addition, planting monarch-friendly flowers and plants in your yard – referred to as a monarch way-station habitat – is a great way to make a difference and contribute to this effort. We will be working with rural landowners and the communities we serve to share information on this important issue and to encourage the development of monarch habitats.

So why are Iowa’s electric cooperatives concerned about this specific issue? If the monarch butterfly population continues to decrease, it could be named an endangered species, which might include additional regulations – and likely impact the affordability and reliability of electric service to our member-owners. As environmental stewards and as part of our cooperative principle of commitment to communities, we want to work proactively to restore Iowa’s monarch population for many generations to come.

For details on the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium and ways you can help, visit this website: https://monarch.ent.iastate.edu.

Ethan Hohenadel is a regulatory affairs specialist with the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives.

I’m saving $146 a year now

that I’ve recycled my old fridge.

What can you do? Find out how

the little changes add up at

TogetherWeSave.com.

I RECYCLEDMY OLD FRIDGEAND FOUNDLEFTOVERSIN MY WALLET.

TOGETHERWESAVE .COM


“The United States possesses the talent, expertise and vision to surpass the rest of the world in solar technologies and forge a new solar energy landscape around the globe. The American Made Solar Prize will galvanize our country’s entrepreneurs, allow them to utilize technologies and innovations developed through DOE’s early-stage research and development, and ultimately bring new American-made products to market.”

Last month, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced a $3 million prize competition to reenergize innovation in U.S. solar manufacturing. The American Made Solar Prize will incentivize the nation’s entrepreneurs to develop new processes and products that will reassert American leadership in the solar marketplace.

Q U O T E O F T H E M O N T H

Owned by the members they serve, Iowa’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives power the lives of 650,000 Iowans throughout all 99 counties by delivering power that’s safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible. Serving primarily rural areas of Iowa (and 80 percent of the state’s land mass), electric co-ops own and maintain enough power lines to wrap around the equator 2.5 times!

Electric cooperatives aren’t like other types of utilities. They’re locally owned by the members they serve and governed by an elected board of directors who are member-owners of the cooperative.

Electric co-ops have been guided by seven core principles since the beginning:

• Voluntary and Open Membership• Democratic Member Control• Members’ Economic Participation• Autonomy and Independence• Education, Training and Information• Cooperation Among Cooperatives• Concern for Community

Did

You

Know

?

Is it time to update your heating system?

S A V I N G E N E R G Y

No matter what kind of equipment heats your home, one thing is certain: The more energy efficient the heating system is, the lower your utility bills will be. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, the combina-tion of a tight, well-insulated home, a properly maintained, high-efficiency heating system and reasonable ther-mostat settings can cut your heating bill in half.

If you’ve lived in your home for several years – and the heating system was in place when you bought the house – it may be hard for you to de-termine if you’ve gotten your money’s worth out of your current equipment. But consider this: Energy Star® recom-mends replacing a furnace or boiler that’s more than 15 years old (or a heat pump or air conditioner that’s more than 12 years old) with a new, high-ef-ficiency unit.

Here are some other clues that it’s time to go shopping for a new heating system:

Your heating bills are going up because the system is using more energy than in past years.

The equipment needs to be

repaired frequently – often for a different reason each time.

Some of the rooms in your house are too hot or too cold, no matter how you adjust the airflow through the ducts.

The system just doesn’t seem to be working properly, even after a recent service call.

The air in your home is exceptionally dry during the heating months.

Unfortunately, you often can’t see what causes a heating system to waste energy. Beyond obvious clues such as a sagging duct that blows heated air into the basement, a noisy fan motor on a forced-air furnace or a leaking fuel line on a boiler, most of the energy-wasting problems will be hidden from view – so call a professional technician for an expert analysis.


If you see suspicious activities, please call. Together, we can cut down on copper theft and other crimes that impact utility bills!


For safety and energy efficiency, make sure windows are locked

E D I T O R ’ S C H O I C E C O N T E S T

If you have an extra foot or so of counter space in your kitchen, you have enough room for a soil-free Miracle-Gro AeroGarden to grow fresh herbs, lettuce and other greens – plus you can start your favorite veggies or flowers for spring planting. The Classic 7 model we’re giving away this month includes an energy-efficient LED grow light, nutrient mix and a selection of seven seed pods for gourmet herbs. There are other seed choices too, many of which are heirloom varieties – and you can use your own seeds.

In fact, the easy-to-use control panel tells you when to add water or the specially formulated liquid nutrients. It also automatically turns the grow lights on and off to create the optimal growing environment for your plants.

The AeroGarden Classic 7 measures 18.5 inches wide and has room for seven plants that will be ready to harvest in 4-6 weeks. The energy-efficient LED lighting system tailors the light spectrum for optimal growing conditions by concentrating daylight white LEDs for fast growth, blue LEDs for bigger yields and red LEDs for more flowers and blooms. The lighting unit adjusts from 15 to 21 inches high, so you can raise it easily as the plants grow.

The suggested retail price of the

AeroGarden Classic 7 is about $200, but a wide variety of other models to grow from three to 24 plants are available for approximately $50 to $700. Some even include a Wi-Fi

Win a soil-free indoor garden to start your favorite veggies and flowers for spring!

Visit our website, and win!To enter this month’s contest for the AeroGarden, go to the Living with

Energy in Iowa website at www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com and complete the entry form no later than Feb. 28, 2018.

You must be a member of one of Iowa’s electric cooperatives to win. There’s no obligation associated with entering, we don’t share entrant information with anyone and multiple entries from the same account will be disqualified.

The winner of the Black+Decker cordless vacuum in the December issue was Julie Tjepkes from Grundy County REC.

connection, so you can use an app on your smart phone to turn the lights on and off, monitor water and nutrient levels, and access gardening tips. Visit aerogarden.com for details.

Plants grow five times faster than in soilWeek 1 Week 3 Week 5

These electric cooperatives are sponsoring the 2018 Youth Tour


www.iowarec.org/youth-tour

www.youthtour.coop IowaYouthTour @IowaYouthTour IowaYouthTour iowayouthtour

WWW


All of the electric co-ops on this list are offering one or more all-expenses-paid Youth Tour trips this year, so check your co-op’s website or call the office for more details. If you don’t know how to

Access Energy CooperativeAllamakee-Clayton Electric CooperativeButler County RECCalhoun County RECChariton Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc.Clarke Electric Cooperative, Inc.Consumers EnergyEast-Central Iowa REC

Farmers Electric Cooperative (Greenfield)Franklin RECHarrison County RECHeartland Power CooperativeIowa Lakes Electric CooperativeLyon RECMidland Power CooperativeMiEnergy Cooperative

Nishnabotna Valley RECNorth West RECPella Cooperative Electric AssociationPrairie Energy CooperativeRaccoon Valley Electric CooperativeSouthern Iowa Electric Cooperative, Inc.Southwest Iowa RECT.I.P. REC

Did you know the Youth Tour was born in Iowa 60 years ago?Win a trip to Washington, D.C., to help us celebrate!

In 1957, Sen. Lyndon Baines Johnson inspired the Youth Tour when he addressed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Annual Meeting in Chicago. The senator and future president declared, “If one thing comes out of this meeting, it will be sending youngsters to the national capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.”

That summer, a few Texas electric

cooperatives sent groups of young people to Washington to work in Sen. Johnson’s office. In 1958, a rural electric cooperative in Iowa took the idea one step further and sponsored the first group of 34 young people on a week-long study tour of our nation’s capital; this trip became the prototype for the Youth Tour. The idea grew, and other states sent busloads of young people throughout the summer. By 1959, the Youth Tour had grown to 130 students.

In 1964, NRECA began to coordinate joint activities among the state delegations and suggested that co-op representatives from each state arrange to be in Washington, D.C., during a Youth Tour week. The first year of the coordinated tour included approximately 400 young people from 12 states. Since then, the reach of the program has spread across the country to include more than 1,800 students who participate in the Youth Tour every year.

This year’s Youth Tour participants

will travel to Washington, D.C., and meet their U.S. representatives and senators – and watch history come alive as they explore museums, memorials and monuments. They’ll also meet student leaders from nearly every state and hear dynamic speakers during Youth Day. Best of all, students will have a lot of fun, make friendships that last a lifetime and become part of a group that has more than 50,000 alumni in every walk of life, including U.S. senators and CEOs.

Right now, Iowa’s local electric cooperatives are getting started on their selection process for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors from their areas to earn an all-expenses-paid trip for the June 8-14 Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. So, it’s time for students to check with their local electric cooperatives to find out how to apply for their co-op’s 2018 trip – and also to enter the magazine’s Youth Tour Contest. It’s also time for students whose co-ops aren’t sponsoring a trip to enter the contest.

Enter the Contest at www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com

For more info:

reach your co-op, visit the Living with Energy in Iowa website at www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com and click on Go to My Co-op in the green menu bar at the top of the page.

Official Contest RulesThe 2018 Youth Tour Contest is open

to any high school sophomore, junior or senior who’s part of a member family of an Iowa electric co-op that’s a member of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC). One all-expenses-paid trip will be awarded by Living with Energy in Iowa magazine, in addition to the trips sponsored by local electric cooperatives.

Of course, students at supporting co-ops first should apply for the Youth Tour through their electric co-ops. Then, to enhance your chances of earning a trip, we encourage you to enter this contest too. If you’re chosen as the winner of a trip sponsored by your local electric cooperative, you’ll become ineligible to win the trip sponsored by Living with Energy in Iowa magazine.

Entry forms for the Living with Energy in Iowa Youth Tour Contest are available at the magazine’s website (www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com) and the IAEC Youth Tour website (www.iowarec.org/youth-tour). To enter, you will be required to submit an official entry form plus a short (250-word maximum) essay in response to this question: How does your local electric cooperative impact your community? Entry materials must be submitted electronically to [email protected] or mailed with a postmark no later than April 5, 2018.

Living with Energy in Iowa magazine and IAEC staff will judge all essays anonymously, without prior knowledge of the entrants’ names or electric cooperatives. The decision of the judges will be final. The winner of the Living with Energy in Iowa Youth Tour Contest will not be announced until April 15, 2018, which is after all sponsoring local electric cooperatives will have chosen their 2018 Youth Tour participants.


IOW

A Y

OUTH TOUR CONTEST

How would you like to run a snack cooperative?

Did you know the Youth Tour was born in Iowa 60 years ago?Win a trip to Washington, D.C., to help us celebrate!

This year’s Youth Tour participants will get an inside look at how a cooperative works by starting and operating the Iowa Youth Tour Snack Cooperative. This educational and practical project will provide snacks at discount prices for Youth Tour participants and teach everyone about starting and operating a cooperative – and being a co-op “member-owner.”

The snack cooperative will have bylaws, board meetings and the full functionality of a regular co-op. Students will apply for a position within the cooperative, including

board nominating committee, directors and manager.

At the conclusion of Youth Tour, the co-op board and manager will hold an “annual meeting” and report to the members on the co-op’s operations during the week in the nation’s capital. The board will then move to officially dissolve the co-op. If there are any “margins,” or funds remaining after operations are closed, the board will determine a method of returning these margins to the members through a form of capital credits.

High school sophomores, juniors and seniors: Here are two good reasons you should enter this contest

Unfortunately, there always are more qualified student candidates at participating co-ops than can be chosen as Youth Tour winners. So, after you apply at your electric co-op, double your chances of winning an all-expenses-paid trip by entering our 2018 Youth Tour Contest.

1 If you’re a deserving student from a local Iowa electric

cooperative that’s not participating in the Youth Tour program this year (see the list on Page 6), you still can win an all-expenses-paid trip in our 2018 Youth Tour Contest. Check the rules here, and enter today!

2

What’s the schedule? Check the Itinerary on Page 14!


TIPHOTTOPICNever dump hot food or liquid into the blender, or you may shatter or crack the jar. Instead, let the ingredients cool or slowly add a small amount several times as you blend.

Tortellini Spinach Soup 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped

spinach 2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth 1 9-ounce package cheese tortellini 1/4 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot over high heat, combine spinach and chicken broth and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Stir in tortellini and simmer 10-15 minutes – or until tortellini is cooked to desired tenderness. Add seasonings.

Theresa Hays ∙ Redfield ∙ Guthrie County REC

Cauliflower Salad 4 cups steamed cauliflower florets 1/2 cup fried, crumbled bacon 1/4 cup chopped green onions 1/2 cup ranch dressing

Combine cooled cauliflower and bacon. Add onions and toss with dressing. Refrigerate until served.

Martha Goemaat ∙ Birmingham Access Energy Cooperative

Strawberry Ice Cream 4 cups buttermilk 3 cups strawberry jam

Stir buttermilk into jam. Freeze in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s directions. You may substitute other jam flavors.

Naomi Anthony ∙ Brooklyn ∙ T.I.P. REC

Baked Eggs 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 cup processed cheese, cubed 2/3 cup milk 6 eggs, beaten Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in an 8 x 8-inch glass dish. Melt cheese into milk and add beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

Janice Schneidermann ∙ Little Rock ∙ Lyon REC

Company Vegetables 2 10-ounce packages frozen broccoli, carrots and

cauliflower 1 cup grated American cheese 1 can cream of mushroom soup 2/3 cup evaporated milk 1 3.5-ounce can French-fried onions

Cook vegetables as directed on package. Place in greased casserole dish, and top with cheese. Mix soup and milk together and pour over top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with onions. Return to oven for 8-10 minutes.

Beverly Judge ∙ Garwin ∙ Consumers Energy


TIP

TIP

Wanted: Favorite family recipesThe Reward: $25 for every one we publish!

Some great recipes get passed down from generation to generation, and that’s what we’re looking for this month. If we run your recipe in the magazine, we’ll send a $25 credit for your electric co-op to apply to your power bill. Recipes submitted also may be archived on our website at www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com.

The deadline is Feb. 28, 2018. Please include your name, address, telephone number, co-op name and the recipe category on all submissions.

E-MAIL: [email protected] (Attach your recipe as a Word document or PDF to your e-mail message.)

MAIL: RecipesLiving with Energy in Iowa magazine8525 Douglas Ave., Suite 48Des Moines, IA 50322-2992

TIP

TIP

A CHILLING THOUGHTRefrigerate breaded meat for several hours before frying.

WIPE OFF THE COOKTOPBaked-on spills can inhibit the heating of the burners, causing you to leave them on longer – as well asreduce their lifespan. Also polish dirty burner pans under the burners so they reflect the heat, rather than absorb it.

BAKE BEFORE YOU BITE!You’ve probably been tempted to try cookie dough, cake or bread before they’re fully cooked, but steer clear. Tasting unbaked recipes made with raw flour or eggs – both of which are intended to be cooked to kill germs before being eaten – can make you sick.

Chicken Roll Ups 3 ounces softened cream cheese with chives 5 tablespoons softened butter, divided 2 cups diced cooked chicken 1 tube crescent rolls 1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

Combine cream cheese and 2 tablespoons butter. Add chicken and mix well. Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles. Fill each with chicken mixture. Form into a ball with dough covering chicken. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Roll the balls in the butter and then in the breadcrumbs, Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. You may serve with chicken gravy over roll ups.

Diane Johnson ∙ Logan ∙ Harrison County REC

Favorite Bars 1 tube refrigerated chocolate chip cookie

dough 1 cup peanut butter 1 7-ounce jar marshmallow cream Chopped cashews

Spread cookie dough in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Dab the peanut butter and marshmallow cream over dough and return to oven for 1 minute. Spread peanut butter and marshmallow cream over dough. Top with cashews and return to oven for an additional 6 minutes. Cool on wire rack before cutting.

Liz Dokter ∙ Sioux Center ∙ North West REC

Pizza Hot Dish 2 pounds ground beef 1 15-ounce jar spaghetti sauce 2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls 1 8-ounce package shredded Cheddar cheese 1 8-ounce package shredded Mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef, drain and add spaghetti sauce. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with 1 package of crescent rolls. Place meat mixture over rolls, and top with cheeses. Cover with remaining tube of rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Minerva Small ∙ Maurice ∙ North West REC

Pumpkin Muffins 1 box yellow cake mix 1 can pumpkin pie filling

Mix the dry cake mix and pumpkin together; fill muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Marlene Stearns ∙ Audubon ∙ Guthrie County REC

Grow fresh herbs, lettuce and other greens in your kitchen

Be sure to enter the Editor’s Choice Contest on Page 5 of this issue for your chance to win a $200 Miracle-Gro AeroGarden!


StraightTalk® Images License Policy NRECA voting members (“Members”) have the right to use, distribute, reproduce, publish, and publicly display in any media whatsoever (“Use”) any graphic contained in the Straight Talk library (“Graphics”) for the purpose of promoting their business. Members are permitted to modify Graphics for the purpose of incorporating their respective names and logos within a Graphic. Members are also permitted to resize or alter the layout of a Graphic to fit the dimensional needs of a particular publication; however, Members shall neither crop nor edit the Graphics as to substantially change or modify the original design. Members are not permitted to Use only portions of a Graphic. Members also may not sub-license, sell, lease, or rent Graphics to third parties. Members must include any attribution or source language if any is contained in the original file. If you have a questions pertaining to this Policy, please contact Abby Berry at [email protected] or 571-319-6231.

Source: Energy Information Administration

Half Page: 7 x 4.875

30.4%is generated by

coal.

33.8%is generated by

natural gas.

19.7%is generated by nuclear energy.

We depend on electricity 24/7, but have you ever wondered how it’s made, or where it comes from? To understand the basics of something so important to modern life, think about steam from a teakettle and the magnets stuck to your refrigerator door.

Magnetic metals in nature attract each other because parts of the atoms that make up those metals want to match up with others. Those restless atomic particles are called electrons – and that’s where we get the word “electricity.”

In the early 1800s, a scientist in England named Michael Faraday noticed that when he rotated a metal disk through the middle of a horseshoe-shaped magnet, he could get electrons to flow together in an electric current. Engineers soon took over and made Faraday’s process really complicated – and really useful too.

Today, nearly all our electricity comes from turbines that spin a magnet inside a coil of wires. One way to turn those turbines is by heating liquid into steam that forces the turbine to spin, using the same principle that makes a teakettle whistle. When you boil water on your stove, that liquid expands more than 1,000 times as it vaporizes. If you’ve ever had your hand burned near boiling water, you’ve felt the

What’s hot? The way you get most of your electricity BY PAUL WESSLUND

power that steam produces.The use of heat to spin

a turbine generates more than 80 percent of our electricity, using coal, natural gas or nuclear power as fuel to create the heat.

Coal plants no longer generate the most electric power

Coal is dug from the ground, either near the surface or from deep underground mines. Then it’s shipped to power plants, often by train.

At the power plant site, the coal is stored in large piles on the ground until it’s ready to be burned. The coal chunks are crushed into a fine powder that’s burned in a boiler. The heat from that combustion is used to turn liquid into the steam in a boiler that spins

the turbine, generating electricity.

Large transformers at the plant boost the voltage of the electricity (while lowering the current and minimizing line loss potential) for shipment across the country through tall transmission lines. As it gets closer to where it will be used, a substation of transformers reduces the voltage to a level that can be safely delivered to a smaller transformer on the utility pole or pad-mounted transformer in your yard, decreasing the voltage further for use in your home.

As simple as that process sounds, each step is extremely complicated in order to make it as efficient and safe as possible. The furnace burns the coal up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit,

and the steam it produces gets hotter than 1,000 degrees. Coal also contains harmful elements that get captured and removed through sophisticated pollution controls. This environmental equipment can cost as much as the power plant itself.

Natural gas is a fast-growing source

Ancient plants and animals that died long ago turned into coal, oil and natural gas – that’s why all three of the choices listed here are called fossil fuels.

Like coal, natural gas comes from the ground and can burn in a way that can drive a steam turbine or a natural gas-fired combustion turbine. Unlike coal, you can’t hold natural gas in your hand – it’s a colorless gas, like air, and

More than 80 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated by coal, natural gas and nuclear energy. These three energy sources utilize heat (in different ways), which ultimately causes a large turbine to spin. The spinning motion creates the electricity, which is then routed over transmission lines, and eventually delivered to your home.


it has to be transported by pipeline. Natural gas also can be piped directly into homes where it can be burned in water heaters, cooktops, stoves and other appliances.

In a natural gas power plant, specially designed combustion turbines burn the gas to make them spin, generating the electricity. The way natural gas turbines work is similar to a jet engine; in fact, they’re a large, complicated version of what you see hanging on airplane wings.

Natural gas electric generation has advantages over coal: The plants are simpler, cheaper to build, require less staff and they can be shut down and powered up more quickly. Natural gas doesn’t contain as many pollutants as coal, so fewer environmental controls are needed, and burning natural gas produces less greenhouse gas.

In the past, natural gas was more expensive than coal – until the 1990s, when fracking and other new drilling techniques flooded the market. Natural gas prices dropped dramatically, and now many utilities are using it to replace coal generation.

What about the nuclear option?

A nuclear power plant works basically the same as a coal plant – the fuel makes steam to spin a turbine and generator. The

difference is that instead of burning coal, heat from a nuclear reactor heats the liquid into steam.

The basic fuel for a nuclear power plant is uranium, which is mined from the ground. It must then be formulated into expensive and complex fuel components for utility use.

A little uranium can last a long time, making it a promising, incredibly cheap power source. And it produces none of the pollution or greenhouse gas that comes from burning coal or natural gas. But the concentrated radioactivity in the nuclear reactor is potentially so dangerous that complex, expensive safety measures need to be part of any nuclear plant.

Highly technical control systems need to be in place to slow or shut down the level of heat produced, and the nuclear reactor needs to be inside a strong containment building to keep radioactivity out of the atmosphere in the event of a low-probability accident in the reactor core.

Another controversy still has not been solved: how to dispose of the spent nuclear fuel, which can stay radioactive for millions of years before the radioactivity is brought down to naturally occurring levels in the environment. Most of the spent fuel is currently stored in pools of water and dry storage casks at the site of the nuclear plant.

Coal and nuclear power plants are often referred to as “baseload,” meaning that since co-op member-owners want electricity to be available all the time, these plants are well suited to run all the time. Natural gas long has been considered a fuel for peak loads, meaning it’s used during times of especially high electricity use. But with the drop in prices, natural gas has become a significant and growing source of baseload power for the nation’s electric grid.

So, heat produced by coal, natural gas and nuclear power generates about 80 percent of our electricity. The rest comes mainly from hydroelectric plants, solar and wind.

Photo: Candice Jaenisch, Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association

In its quarterly earnings report last month, NextEra Energy Resources signaled a likely closure of the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC) in 2025, because it’s unlikely that the facility’s primary customer will extend its current contract after it expires in 2025. Without a contract extension, DAEC would likely close at the end of 2025, despite being licensed to operate until 2034.

Commissioned in 1975, DAEC is owned by NextEra Energy (70 percent), Central Iowa Power Cooperative (20 percent) and Corn Belt Power (10 percent). It’s Iowa’s only nuclear power plant.

Phot

o: N

RC


P R O D U C T R E C A L L S

Portable generators recalled due to fire and burn hazards

For more details on these product recalls, go to CPSC’s Home Page at www.cpsc.gov and enter the Recall number in the Search Box at the top.

These recalls may interest you too

18-Inch Fiber Optic Christmas Trees from Bits and Pieces RECALL: 18-707SOLD AT: Bits and Pieces mail-order catalog; online at www.bitsandpieces.comHAZARD: Overheating and fire

Fujifilm Power Adapter Wall Plugs Sold with Digital CamerasRECALL: 18-079SOLD AT: Mass merchandisers, electronics and membership club stores nationwide; online at Amazon.com and other websitesHAZARD: Electric shock

HP Batteries for Notebook Computers and Mobile WorkstationsRECALL: 18-077SOLD AT: Included with purchase of computer at Best Buy and other stores; online at www.Amazon.com, www.hp.com and other websites.HAZARD: Fire and burns

The following model numbers, serial numbers and production date ranges are included in the Honda Portable Generator recall.

Model Serial No. Range Production Date Range

EB2800i EAAA -1000037 thru 1015421 2016/07/31 -2017/09/19

EG2800i EABA -2000047 thru 2020152 2016/07/29 -2017/09/20

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), American Honda Motor Company Inc. has recalled two models of portable gasoline generators. If you own one, you should stop using it immediately.

To report a problem with a product you believe is unsafe, go to www.saferproducts.gov. For details on recalls of a product you own, go to cpsc.gov, twitter.com/uscpsc, facebook.com/uscpsc or instagram.com/uscpsc. You also may call the agency’s Hotline at 800-638-2772 from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time. Note that it’s illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Honda Portable GeneratorsRECALL: 18-072UNITS: About 34,000MANUFACTURER AND DISTRIBUTOR: American Honda Motor Company Inc., of Torrance, Calif.HAZARD: The carburetor can leak gasoline, posing fire and burn hazards.

INCIDENTS/INJURIES: The firm has received 38 reports of fuel leakage from the generators. No fires or injuries have been reported.DESCRIPTION: This recall involves

Honda portable gasoline generators with model numbers

EB2800i and EG2800i. The recalled portable generators have a red front cover and a black metal frame. The EB2800i has a silver-colored control panel and the EG2800i has a black-colored control panel. HONDA and the generator model

number are printed on the control panel. The serial number is located on a lower black metal frame at the rear of the generator.SOLD AT: Authorized Honda Power Equipment dealers and Home Depot stores nationwide from September 2016 through November 2017 for about $1,150MANUFACTURED IN: U.S.REMEDY: Immediately stop using the recalled generator and contact a local authorized Honda Power Equipment service dealer to schedule a free inspection and repair.CONSUMER CONTACT: Call American Honda toll-free at 888-888-3139 from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Time Monday through Friday, or go to https://powerequipment.honda.com and click Recalls and Updates at the bottom of the page for more information.

Serial Number


Keep anything that can burn(such as curtains, clothing or bedding) at least 3 feet away.

NEVER leave a space heaterunattended. Turn o� whenleaving a room or sleeping.

NEVER plug a space heater into an extension cord, power strip or surge protector.

DON’T use a cooktop, oven or stove to heat your home or dry clothes.

Place space heater on a level, �at surface – away from high-tra�c areas.

Install and maintain smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Have a quali�ed serviceprofessional inspect yourheating system annually.

Never use a spaceheater or any appliancewith a damaged cord.

A B C s O F E L E C T R I C I T Y


Y O U T H T O U R

During the 2018 Youth Tour this June, a student from each participating state will be chosen to serve on the national Youth Leadership Council (YLC). Those students will return to Washington, D.C., in July to participate in leadership training and will be invited to attend the 2019 annual meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in Orlando.

As a bonus, the student chosen from Iowa will receive a $1,000 college scholarship! This year, the Iowa Youth Tour director and chaperones will interview Iowa’s YLC candidates on Saturday, June 9, during the Youth Tour.

Carlyn Bretey from North West REC was the 2017 YLC representative from Iowa, and she’ll be attending the annual meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in Nashville late this month. She

Thursday, June 7Orientation – Ramada Des Moines Airport,

1810 Army Post RoadIcebreaker GamesCreate Iowa Youth Tour Snack Cooperative

Friday, June 8Fly to Washington, D.C.Driving tour of Washington, D.C.White House – Let’s get that iconic photo!American Veterans Disabled for Life MemorialPaddle Boats – Tidal BasinThe United States Air Force Memorial

Saturday, June 9National Museum of the Marine CorpsThe United States Navy MemorialNational Law Enforcement Officers MemorialWashington MonumentWorld War II MemorialThomas Jefferson MemorialFranklin Delano Roosevelt MemorialMartin Luther King Jr. National MemorialUnion StationYouth Leadership Council Interviews Snack Cooperative Open

Here’s the Itinerary for the 2018 Youth Tour

Sunday, June 10Ford’s TheatreMadame Tussauds Wax MuseumMount VernonNational HarborDinner CruiseSnack Cooperative Open

Monday, June 11Albert Einstein MemorialVietnam Veterans MemorialLincoln MemorialKorean War Veterans MemorialThe National MallArthur M. Sackler GalleryArts and Industry BuildingFreer Gallery of ArtHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenNational Air and Space MuseumNational Archives BuildingNational Gallery of ArtNational Museum of African American History

and CultureNational Museum of African ArtNational Museum of American HistoryNational Museum of Natural HistoryNational Museum of the American IndianSmithsonian Castle

Intern chosen for 2018 Youth Tour trip

Alexandra “Alex” Byrnes, a 2014 Youth Tour alumnus from Heartland Power Cooperative, will be the Iowa Youth Tour Intern for the June 2018 trip to Washington, D.C. She’ll help with social media efforts and assist with all types of tasks before, during and after the trip.

From Osage, Byrnes became the speaker’s page in the Iowa House after her Youth Tour; she also interned at Gov. Reynolds office last summer. Byrnes is a sophomore at the University of Iowa and is studying business and finance. Her career goal is to work with legislative policy that impacts the worlds of business and finance.

High School Students:See Pages 6-7 for details on winning an all-expenses-paid Youth Tour trip from this magazine!

Note: Itinerary is subject to change.

U.S. Botanic GardenUnited States Holocaust Memorial MuseumRural Electric Youth Day

Tuesday, June 12Snack Cooperative Board MeetingWashington National CathedralWorld Bank Group Visitor CenterArlington National CemeteryKennedy GravesitesTomb of the Unknowns, Changing of the GuardArlington House, the Robert E. Lee MemorialLay a wreath at Tomb of the UnknownsBen’s Chili BowlIwo Jima Sunset ParadeSnack Cooperative OpenPentagon 911 Memorial

Wednesday, June 13Optional 3-mile run with Sen. GrassleyMeet with Iowa’s members of CongressTour the U.S. CapitolVisit Supreme Court or Library of CongressNewseumAll-States Farewell Dinner and DanceSnack Cooperative Annual Meeting

Thursday, June 14 Fly back to Iowa

An Iowa student will earn a $1,000 college scholarship too!

spoke at the annual meeting of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives last November about

breaking out of the bubble some people try to build around the youth of today.

“Youth Tour promises to expand one’s understanding of the cooperative model – and of our country’s history and government,” she said. “Even so, the fine print of our information packets

told us nothing of the most valuable advances obtainable through the trip. These small rural electric cooperatives have given us the power to step outside of the bubble built around us, see the world from a different viewpoint (one of positivity and determination), develop our confidence as the future leaders of the United States, connect us with like-minded individuals and optimally appreciate all that our country provides us with.”


When you live in an old house in the country, the regular invasion of mice is something that you don’t necessarily welcome – but you’re used to it. Every year as the weather turns colder, field mice find their way into our garage (and occasionally into the house).

If you’re really unlucky, one will die in a most inaccessible place in your domicile, putting out a stink that will clear the house of its inhabitants. But that’s another story.

This year, I dealt with our mice problem the way I usually do, by buying some mouse poison and a few traps from our local grocery store. The boy packing my groceries was loud and friendly, reminding me somewhat of a boisterous St. Bernard my uncle once owned.

The grocery packer picked up the mouse poison and squinted at it. “So, you got a rat problem at your house, huh?” he boomed into the 5 p.m.-everyone-on-their-way-home-from-work-getting-groceries crowd.

I winced and replied, several decibels lower, “We’ve got a couple of mice in our garage.”

“Yeah, rats will really do a number on your stuff,” St. Bernard boy bellowed, as if I’d never spoken. “They’ll chew up anything.”

I noticed he was placing the package of mouse poison in with my produce. “Uh,” I muttered, “please don’t put the mouse poison in with the lettuce. It should go in a separate sack.”

He stared at the mouse poison and the bag. “Yeah, I guess you’re right – you don’t want rat poison on your celery! But I don’t think rat poison will kill people unless you eat a lot of it. It might make you sick, though.”

O U T B A C K

A snooty woman I’d rather avoid was looking pointedly at me, as if I were the Pied Piper and going to lead away all of the rats in town. “If you could just put it into a separate bag, I’d appreciate it,” I mumbled.

“Your other stuff is in paper. Is it okay if I put the rat poison in a plastic bag?” the boy hollered, as he stuffed the box of poison into a plastic bag. “What about the rat traps?” He said as held them up, waving them around. “These don’t look big enough for rats.”

“That’s because they’re for mice, not rats,” I said in desperation. “Just whatever … throw them in with the poison.”

“Oh, mice, yeah, they’re dirty little creatures,” he said, winding up into his dissertation on mice. “Boy, once they’re in the trap, they leave a lot of

blood around your cupboards.” I pretended not to hear him, as

I jammed my debit card into the machine and prayed for a quick release. The checker handed me my receipt and asked if I needed help carrying out the two bags.

“Uh, no, I’ve got it,” I gasped, as I grabbed the bags and headed for the door.

But St. Bernard Boy wasn’t finished. “Hey, good luck on killing those rats!” he yelled behind me.

I charged out of the store, with every eye in the checkout lanes on me. Only one thought was in my mind: How much would it cost for grocery delivery?

Valerie Van Kooten grew up on an Iowa farm and loves writing about everyday things that affect all of us. She and her husband have three sons and two grandsons.

BY VALERIE VAN KOOTEN

Confusion between rats and mice was embarrassing

TRUST. ANOTHER PRECIOUS RESOURCEWE’RE COMMITTED TO PRESERVING.

YOUR SOURCE OF POWER. AND INFORMATION.

Around here, there’s more to trust than making sure your lights come on when you flip theswitch. We also must have information you can trust, whether it’s about local renewable energy options or ways to lower your bill. For more, visit TouchstoneEnergy.com.

TOUCHSTONEENERGY.COM