BW INSIGHTS

Iowa DOT Issues Report on Electric Vehicles

On December 31, 2018, the Iowa DOT released a report analyzing the potential effect of electric vehicles on the Road Use Tax Fund in Iowa. Because these vehicles use no gasoline, they do not pay the state fuel tax. The number of electric vehicles is relatively small at this time, so the impact on the Road Use Tax Fund is not immediately... Read More

Iowa's Next Energy Frontier - Microgrids

Living in Iowa, you have likely driven within sight of a wind turbine farm with its tubular towers sprouting up hundreds of feet above the local farmer’s crops, or noticed angled solar panels in tight groupings along some shadow-free earth or perched on the edge of a new building’s rooftop. After such an observation, did you pause to wonder how... Read More

Use of Microgrids During Natural Disasters

The nation’s attention is focused on the devastation brought to Texas and Louisiana by Hurricane Harvey, but there is one positive development that deserves our attention: the use of microgrids to ensure the continued operation of essential services in the face of natural disasters. An electric microgrid is broadly defined as a local network of... Read More