By MARK NEWMAN,Courier staff writer
OTTUMWA - Every choice has a consequence. When those choices involve energy consumption, a newly designed computer program lets anyone see those consequences instantly.
About a dozen area residents had a chance to see the new energy simulator program. They were at a meeting hosted by Aliant Energy Friday night at the Hotel Ottumwa. This was the fifth such "town meeting" held in Iowa.
First, a representative of Blue Spark, the company which makes the Energy Ed simulator available, let residents know what the goal of the simulation would be.
Spokesman Tom Still said that "people bring different values." To some, he said, cost was most important. To others, environmental factors or reliability of delivery were leading influences.
In a vote taken by Still, the Ottumwa group was interested in price most, but also concerned about the environment and stability.
The presenters said that with the growing need for energy, we would hit a point where we need more energy than we can currently provide.
"It's hard to buy anything these days that doesn't come with a [plug] attached," said Still.
So energy planners need to predict how much energy an area will need, and find a way to provide it. And increasing energy generation can increase other factors, like money and pollution.
With the Energy Ed hands-on simulator, residents began to act as energy planners. So their goal is to increase energy production to the level needed over the next 15 years. At the same time, they want to meet other goals, like keeping costs from getting too high.
The participants needed to learn what power sources were available, and what was in use in Iowa now.
