Business : Leading the way toward a clean energy future

Many Iowans are counting down the final days of 2020 anticipating the hopes and dreams that a new year could bring. This optimistic outlook is certainly welcome after a year that included the challenges of living through a pandemic and the destruction caused when a derecho essentially brought a hurricane to the heartland.

These past twelve months have tested your strength and perseverance, and we at Alliant Energy are proud to have powered your life every step of the way. From our commitment to keep the lights on and the gas flowing to the partnerships our Foundation made to help those in need, we remain driven by our purpose to serve our customers and build stronger communities.

This commitment continues next year as our Clean Energy Blueprint accelerates our transition to more renewable energy, which benefits the environment and helps customers avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in long-term investments.

In Iowa, we plan to add 400 megawatts of new solar generation to complement more than 1,300 megawatts of renewable energy from our existing wind farms and solar gardens. We're also transitioning one coal-fired generating station to natural gas and retiring another. By the end of 2023, we project that more than half of our generation in Iowa will come from renewable energy.

In the coming days, months and years, Alliant Energy will continue exploring how combining solar power and battery technology can enhance reliability as electricity generated during the day can be used whenever it's needed. We are already piloting battery projects that look to use energy storage technology to increase resiliency and reliability on the energy grid. There are also new offerings to help customers, businesses and communities achieve their own renewable goals through a whole host of community solar programs that help offset their energy use.

With the addition of more clean energy, we are on the way to achieving our recently updated goals, which include 50% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030, elimination of all coal from our generation fleet by 2040 and our aspirational goal of net-zero CO2 emissions, from the electricity we generate, by 2050.

As the Clean Energy Blueprint takes shape across our service territory, we'll always have a diverse energy mix to power what's next. That means no matter what the coming years bring, we'll provide the affordable and reliable energy you and your family count on.

On behalf of all our employees, I want to wish you and your family a safe and joyful holiday season and a very happy new year.