Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is a great way to describe our power supplier’s common-sense approach to the current energy transition. We know that our members’ interest in renewable energy sources continues to grow, a trend that extends statewide and even across the nation. 

Farmers Electric purchases the power you receive from Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), a generation and transmission cooperative that owns generation resources and transmits the electricity to 13 member-owned cooperatives and associations across Iowa. We then distribute that power to you. 

In addition to the power we receive from CIPCO, Farmers also supports local wind developments by purchasing nearly 11 MW of wind-generated electricity. 

We are in step with a national trend to increasingly rely on renewable energy sources as fossil fuel plants are taken off-line, often ahead of schedule. Additionally, we’re seeing more pressure on the electric grid due to the increasing frequency and intensity of severe weather events and rising electricity demand.

So how do we reconcile these challenges of grid pressure and a changing fuel mix? Solar and wind energy are certainly beneficial for the environment, but they are limited resources because the sun does not always shine, and the wind does not always blow. Our primary responsibility is to provide electricity 24/7 to you and our community. To do this, we need reliable sources of power that will meet all the peaks and valleys of on-demand energy in our connected world.

That’s why we spread our eggs into multiple baskets. There is great value in maintaining a diverse mix of fuel sources–fossil fuels and renewables to ensure reliability, resiliency and meet the growing demand for electricity. As our nation increasingly depends on electricity to power the economy, Farmers Electric and CIPCO are working to anticipate, plan and respond to market trends and policy shifts. That’s how we can power your home and our economy, while continuing to serve as your local energy provider.