 Finances
The Iowa Energy Center receives core annual funding from an assessment on the intrastate revenues of Iowa’s gas and electric utilities. These ratepayer monies flow to the Energy Center and are used to fund Iowa-focused energy research, information and outreach. A portion of the funds are used to pay staff salaries and the operational expenses associated with the research and outreach programs. While the Energy Center, in conjunction with its Advisory Council, sets its own funding direction, oversight of the funds is provided by several different entities. This oversight ensures that the Energy Center spends the ratepayer funds appropriately and within our legislated mission.
Assessment Funds
FY 2008 Expenditures
For fiscal year 2008, the Energy Center had available $4.39 million in funds from the utility assessment, which included about
$670,000 budgeted but unspent from
FY 2007. For the current year the Energy Center spent $3.93 million, 75% of which was directed toward research, education, and disseminating energy information to Iowans. The remainder of the funds was used to support the Energy Center’s staff and its general activities in support of its mission.
FY 2008 Competitive Grant Program Expenditures
The largest share of the Energy Centers funds is spent on competitive research and education grants. These grants comprised 34% of the Energy Center’s budget for FY 2008. Spending for grants reflects not only the priorities of the Energy Center toward meeting its mission but also the state’s priorities for making use of Iowa’s abundant renewable energy resources. During the year the majority of competitive grant funds were directed toward renewable energy research, primarily in the bio-energy, wind and solar arenas.
FY 2008 Collaborative Research & Education
To help drive implementation and marketing of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, the Energy Center operates two state-of-the-art research facilities: the ERS and BECON. The Energy Center invests significantly in operating and maintaining these facilities to enable university researchers, private sector partners, and both established and start-up companies to conduct research, evaluate technology, and receive training that benefits Iowa in the short-and long-term.
FY 2008 Information & Outreach
While research is a vital part of the Energy Center’s budget it is equally important to budget funds to help educate Iowans about energy and to ensure that they receive information that can directly impact their daily lives. Every Energy Center grant has an educational impact in Iowa. Additionally, 15% of the Energy Center’s budget helps support a diverse portfolio of other information and energy education activities as well as research and training for Iowa’s energy professionals (see pages 19-20). In some cases the Energy Center achieved greater impact by partnering in collaborative research with non-Iowa groups on topics such as lighting research and wind resource assessment.
FY 2008 External Funding
To address needs in specific technical areas, the Energy Center occasionally seeks external research funding. During fiscal year 2008, the Energy Center received $276,518 in research funding from federal, state and private sponsors. These funds augment the assessment funds and enable the Energy Center to conduct targeted research of benefit to Iowans. Projects included research to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings, wind resource assessment, and promising technology for improving conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals.
FY 2007 Results
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Assessment Funds 
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