With hundreds of millions of dollars invested in construction, the Iowa Stored Energy Park (ISEP) will provide significant economic benefits for the entire state of Iowa. ISEP is a joint project of municipal utilities in Iowa and several nearby states.

ISEP will use the energy from a large wind-power facility located in Iowa to store air in an underground geological structure. During peak power demands, the stored air will be released, mixed with a fuel and used to power combustion turbines that produce environmentally friendly and economical electricity.

The project will enable utilities and their customers to add additional renewable energy to their power supplies.

At the ISEP facility, air will be compressed using low-cost off-peak electricity and wind that is not being sold on the grid at that time. The air is stored in a deep underground geological formation. When energy is needed, the stored air will be released, heated and used to drive generating turbines. By using compressed-air energy storage and wind power together, an environmentally friendly, alternative-energy source is available to homes and businesses.

For more information on the ISEP, visit www.isepa.com/about_isep.asp.