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| Warren McKenna of FEC photo:presscitizen.com |
Warren McKenna, the Manager of
Farmers Electric Coop
in Kalona, Iowa is a soft spoken fellow. However, it only took one
sentence to bring an auditorium full of solar installers and electrical
contractors to their feet for a standing ovation.
After a full day of presentations from state and local leaders on
solar energy at the Iowa Solar Installers Summit in 2009, McKenna
presented on a panel along with representatives of investor-owned and
municipal utilities. When McKenna took to the podium, he smiled,
cleared his throat and said, “Well, I don’t have a powerpoint
presentation. But I DO have a feed-in tariff!” The crowd roared with
approval.
Since 2008, Farmers Electric Coop (FEC) has been a national model for
utilization of solar. The tiny, 650 person cooperative electric utility
serves customers in the heart of Amish country and is the states oldest
electric utility, but despite its long history, FEC is leading the way
into the future. McKenna’s savvy, cost-effective approach to providing
clean, locally produced power has caught the attention of much larger
utilities across the country, and his start-small, pay-as-you-go
business plan has proven to be a hit with co-op members as well as the
solar industry.
read the entire article at
solartribune.com
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