What is Green Energy?

Alternate green energy resources include solar, wind, waste management and recovery, refuse-derived fuel, agricultural crops and residues, and wood burning. Investing in these other forms of energy reduces our reliance on coal and natural gas and provides numerous additional job opportunities to the Ames area.

How to Participate

Ames residents can contribute to the development of our alternate green energy resources through the Green Choices program. The City of Ames Electric Services is offering this voluntary monthly contribution program for the development of future green energy resources.  A voluntary contribution check-off will be available to each customer via their monthly bill in the amounts of $2, $5, $10, or a designated amount, per month. A one time donation will also be accepted with a minimum of $5.00 required. Money will continue to be collected until the customer notifies the City of Ames Electric Services of their wish to stop the contribution, or the customer's account is terminated.

Electric Services customers may contact Joel at 515-239-5177 for more information.

What is Green Choices Doing for Ames?

Donald Kom, Ames Electric Services Director, is proud of the efforts the City has made so far, "I am very impressed with the City of Ames' alternate energy efforts. Ames has one of the most aggressive programs in the state with waste-to-energy at the Arnold O. Chantland Resource Recovery Plant, wind energy purchases, the burning of biofuels, the ability to broker renewable energy credits (REC's) from Texas, and our new solar farm that was completed in 2020. Ames Electric Services is staged to be a major player in alternate energy now, and into the future."

All Iowa electric utilities were required to offer an alternate green energy purchase program to their customers by Jan. 1, 2004. The program must be based on energy produced by newly created alternate green energy production facilities in Iowa. According to Iowa Code 476.47 "The program is intended to promote the development of new alternate energy resources in Iowa, and to be a supplement to other existing renewable resources."

Electric Services has commissioned Sergeant and Lundy, an engineering consulting firm based out of Chicago, to develop an integrated resource plan that will aid in the identification of appropriate renewable resources.

"Green energy is a good thing," Kom said. "It cleans our environment and reduces our dependence on nonrenewable energy sources."