Muscatine Power and Water (MP&W) offers several ways local businesses can participate in the Green Muscatine Program. Green Muscatine is a program supporting current and future installation of photovoltaic arrays (solar panels) and wind turbines in Muscatine. Proceeds from contributions help pay for the solar array and wind turbine located in front of MP&W’s Administration and Operations Center on Cedar Street. Additional solar arrays/wind turbines will be installed on other city buildings and will lower the overall cost of operation for our customer/owners.

Industrial Program
Contribute $300, $500, $700, or more a month to Green Muscatine

Solar and Wind Power for Businesses Supporting Green Muscatine
For businesses contributing at the levels listed above, MP&W will install a 1 or more kW solar array or a wind turbine on your property. MP&W will provide design work, all materials and labor at our cost.  For the solar array, the Muscatine Star is the preferred design. We understand it may not be possible in all applications.

In return, we ask the client allocate the environmental benefits called Green Tags. These are the environmental component of PV generation which can be sold by the owner.to MP&W. We will use these Green Tags to offset our emissions. For more information on Green Tags, call Paul Burback, MP&W Energy Services Specialist (563) 262-3423.

Plaques or lobby displays are awarded thanking your business for participating.

Benefits of Solar Energy

Solar Energy is Environmentally Friendly
Solar energy is clean, abundant, reliable, and affordable. MP&W’s first 2.2 kW photovoltaic array reduces the need for fossil-fuel generated electricity, offsetting CO2 emissions “greenhouse gases” by 5.3 tons per solar array per year (in residential this says 3.3 tons per year).

Solar Energy is Good for Our Economy
Every dollar spent on importing fuels is a dollar the local economy loses. In contrast, renewable energy sources are developed locally. Dollars spent, stay at home, create more jobs and foster economic growth.

Solar Energy is The Future
Our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents had our future in mind when they built MP&W’s first electric generation unit back in 1922. Keep that tradition alive by giving for the future of Muscatine.

Solar Energy is Secure
Of the energy consumed in the United States, 85% comes from fossil fuels, which are limited in supply, affecting our national security. Today, the United States imports nearly 65% of the crude oil it consumes, Iowa imports 97% of the fuel it uses, and Muscatine imports 100% of the coal used to produce the electric energy it uses.

Did You Know...
Iowa imports 97% of the fuel it uses to produce electricity and fuel our automobiles. Coal, natural gas, and petroleum are all imported from other states and nations.

Iowa is currently developing programs to help us harness the power of “green energy,” the natural resources we have right here in our own state — renewable resources, such as solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy, biomass, and hydropower.

Free Site Survey
Start using renewable energy and a brighter future for our community and our children. Call MP&W’s Energy Services Advisor today to set up a free site survey.

Your support today will make a world of difference tomorrow.

From Installing a 2.2kW Photovoltaic Array on a Business in Muscatine.
Expenses	Actual Costs	Deductions	Cost After Deductions
Estimated Installation Cost of PV System	$20,000.00
No Property Tax for PV in Iowa
No Sales Tax for PV in Iowa
Cost of Financing Capital @ 8% for 6 Years	$4,326.31
Iowa Energy Center Pays 50% of Cost of Capital		$2,163.00
6-year Maintenance Costs	$500.00
Total Cost of System	$24,826.31	$2,163.00	$22,663.00
Savings
Federal Tax Credit (2006 & 2007)		$6,000.00
USDA Grant (Agriculture-related Business - 25% of System Cost)		$5,000.00
Value of Accelerated Depreciation Schedule		$1,480.00
Value of Electricity Produced (10 years @ 0.10 per kWh)		$3,000.00
Total		$15,480.00	$7,183.00
Marketing Your Energy		Income Potential	Applied to Costs
Value of Green Tags (Environmental Component of PV Generation which can be sold by owner)		$1,500.00
Potential Marketing Value of Array (Increased Profit from Sales due to Green Image - this will vary with type and size of business) You will need to develop a value which you believe fits your business model. [Assumes - $600.00/yr. for 10 years]		$6,000.00
Positive Cash Flow in Year Six		$7,500.00	$317.00
Potential Cash Flow from Energy Savings, Green Tags and Marketing Value of Array Annually Thereafter			$1,050 Projected Annual Cash Flow
Estimated Installation Cost of PV System	$20,000.00
No Property Tax for PV in Iowa
No Sales Tax for PV in Iowa
Cost of Financing Capital @ 8% for 6 Years	$4,326.31
Iowa Energy Center Pays 50% of Cost of Capital		$2,163.00
6-year Maintenance Costs	$500.00
Total Cost of System	$24,826.31	$2,163.00	$22,663.00

Benefits of Wind Energy

Wind energy is a renewable energy source, produces no pollution, and eventually pays for itself. The amount of money a wind turbine saves will depend upon its installed cost, the amount of electricity you use, the average wind speed at your site, and other factors.

MP&W’s Skystream 3.7™ 1.8 kW wind turbine has a 12-foot rotor that resides on a 60-foot pole. It is expected to produce approximately 400 kW hours a month which is being used to offset electrical energy requirements at MP&W’s Cedar Street Administration/Operations (A/O) Center. Over its life, the Skystream 3.7™ can offset more than 6,000 pounds of global warming pollutants (carbon dioxide and other gases that are associated with global warming) every year.

All-inclusive wind generators (with controls and inverters built-in) are available and are designed to provide quiet, clean electricity in very low winds. This makes it ideal for small businesses to implement.

GeoExchange Technology Pulls Money Right from the Ground and Saves Energy!

GeoExchange technology taps the natural geothermal energy underground. A ground source heat pump heats and cools your home. Fluid is circulated through an underground loop of pipe. The fluid absorbs heat from the earth during the winter and dissipates heat from the house during the summer. The heat or cold from the fluid is converted to hot or cool air by circulating it through water-to-refrigerant and refrigerant-to-air heat exchangers (similar to a car radiator).

Ground source heat pumps are very efficient. They utilize the relatively constant temperature of the ground (50-55 degrees in Iowa) to obtain heat during the winter and provide cooling during the summer.

Ground source heat pumps can be categorized as having closed or open loops, and those loops can be installed in three ways: horizontally, vertically, or in a pond/lake. The type chosen depends on the available land area and the type of soil and rock at the installation site. These factors will determine the most economical choice for installation.

Geothermal heat pumps (sometimes referred to as GeoExchange, earth-coupled, ground-source, or water-source heat pumps) have been in use since the late 1940s. The ground source heat pump is one of the most efficient residential heating and cooling systems available today, with heating efficiencies 50 to 70% higher than other heating systems and cooling efficiencies 20 to 40% higher than available air conditioners. That directly translates into savings on your utility bills.