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From YouTube: This Week in Ames
Description
Director of Electric Services Donald Kom gives an update on the Power Plant's conversion to Natural Gas
A
A
B
Is
one
great
big
project
going
on
with
a
lot
of
moving
parts?
Yes,
a
couple
of
years
ago,
in
talking
to
this
aim,
City
Council,
it
was
decided
that
we're
going
to
basically
convert
our
power
plant
from
burning
coal
to
natural
gas
sounds
like
something
easy
to
do,
but
there
are
so
many
moving
parts
where
we're
at
right
now
is
is
we're
in
the
final
month
that
our
unit,
eight,
our
largest
unit,
will
be
burning.
B
A
The
power
plan
has
been
around
for
quite
some
time
and
has
quite
a
history
names
and
that
history
has
really
surrounded
the
burning
of
coal
to
produce
energy,
along
with
in
the
1970s
the
addition
of
RDF
the
refuse
derived
fuel.
This
is
a
big
change.
This
is
huge.
This
is
a
different
kind
of
fuel
source,
a
little
bit
more
environmentally
friendly,
and
it's
like,
as
you
said,
there's
a
lot
of
components
to
making
this
making
this
work.
Yes,.
B
Yes
are
both
inside
the
plant
and
outside
the
plant.
Let
me
touch
a
little
bit
on
inside
the
plant.
What
we're
going
to
beginning
to
do
in
November
is:
we
have
to
we're
going
to
continue
to
use
the
same
boiler
and
basically,
what
a
boiler
is.
Is
you
have
a
fire
in
the
center
water
on
the
outside
or
round
it
in
tubes,
convert
that
water
to
steam
and
then
that
steam
is
sent
then
through
a
turbine
which
turns
and
produces
the
electricity?
B
What
we're
going
to
have
to
do
is
remove
the
burners
that
burn
coal,
remove
the
piping
that
gets
the
coal
to
the
burners
and
replace
all
that
with
natural
gas,
burners
and
then
natural
gas
piping.
That's
the
big
share
of
it,
but
beyond
that,
you've
got
all
of
the
roles
that
go
with
it
and
you've
got
all
of
the
systems
that
are
needed
to
operate.
That
well.
A
B
The
other
side
of
it
when
we
first
looked
at
this
conversion.
We
realized
in
talking
with
the
local
gas
provider,
which
is
Alliant
Energy,
that
there's
not
enough
natural
gas,
not
enough
transportation
of
natural
gas
within
the
city.
So
to
accommodate
the
power
plant
alone,
we
either
looked
at
building
our
own
gas
line
from
the
city
north
or
work
with
Alliant,
and
we
ended
up
by
signing
a
long
year,
a
long
term
contract
with
Alliant
and.
A
B
Some
things
that
we
covered
with
city
council
here
recently.
We
also
need
the
capability
to
deliver
gas
across
the
bulk
gas
system,
so
we
just
signed
a
contract
with
a
company
called
northern
natural
gas
they're
the
entity
that
can
bring
gas
to
it's
actually
a
point
in
your
story,
city.
That's
what
that
first
line
has
to
connect
you.
So
that's
the
delivery
piece
of
it
are
those
two
things.
The
other
big
thing
that
we
did
on
Tuesday
night
was:
we
signed
a
contract.
B
Well,
we
went
up
for
bid
for
the
gas
itself
and,
as
everybody
knows,
the
price
of
gas
continues
to
drop
and
I'm
talking
natural
gas
here,
not
not
diesel,
fuel
or
gasoline
for
cars
and
the
prices
change
so
rapidly.
The
price
that
we
were
quoted
by
all
of
these
vendors
was
only
good
for
about
12
hours,
so
we
had
to
work
a
unique
system
with.
A
B
Because
it
is
such
a
volatile
as
a
bad
word
to
use
with
natural
gas,
but
because
the
price
very
so
often
or
so
much,
the
bidders
only
want
to
hold
that
available
for
a
short
period
of
time,
because
once
we
say
okay
we're
going
to
take
it,
they
then
go
out
and
they
go
into
the
market
and
and
do
what's
called
hedging.
So
they'll
then
go
lock
up
contracts
to
back
that,
so
that
that
they
have
the
ability
to
meet
that
and
not
not
put
themselves
what's
called
upside
down
right.
So.
A
You
mentioned
some
of
the
the
tubing
the
piping.
That's
may
be
visible
by
the
existing
power
plant.
Some
people
might
have
noticed
another
project
that
wrapped
up
not
that
long
ago,
at
the
power
plant
involving
the
cooling
towers,
which
was
kind
of
an
amazing
thing
to
watch,
because
it
happened
so
quickly
sure.
B
As
part
of
the
production,
when
you
take
and
and
use
steam
to
produce
electricity,
you
need
to
basically
recondense
you
need
to
cool
off
that
steam
so
that
you
can
reuse
it
in
the
process
and
the
way
we
do
at
a
cooling
tower
is
in
many
regards
similar
to
a
radiator
on
a
car.
So
you
pass
water
through
and
in
that
case,
you're
using
cool
air
with,
with
our
cooling
towers,
it's
a
little
bit
more
complex.
We
took
down
our
smaller
cooling
tower,
oh
all,
about
a
month
ago
and
literally
took
it
apart.
B
It
was
made
out
of
wood
and
and
the
laughing
and
stuff
like
that.
It
was
basically
beyond
its
useful
life
quickly.
Then
the
new
design
is
to
make
these
out
of
fiberglass
even
the
the
piping.
The
structure
itself
are
fiberglass
tubes
or
almost
two
by
fours
that
it's
all
constructed
out
of
so
all
of
that
is
made
out
of
fiberglass
and
it
looks
a
lot
nicer.
B
B
Once
eight
is
converted
and
we've
gone
through
all
of
the
tests,
and
we
make
sure
that
the
unit
is
is
operating
efficiently,
will
bring
unit
eight
up
and
then
seven
will
stop
burning
coal,
and
then
we
will
not
be
burning
coal
again
in
seven
or
eight.
So
it's
an
interesting
dance
to
make
sure
that
we
always
have
enough
coal
there
so
that
we
don't
run
short
between
that
conversion.
B
A
B
Of
it,
people
won't
see
once
the
pipe
is
put
into
the
ground.
You'll
see
new
cooling
towers,
but
really
a
lot
of
the
change
is
happening
inside
the
building.
Even
the
cooling
towers
themselves,
people
have
said
that
when
they
drive
by
they
see
this
smoke
or
something
coming
out
of
of
the
cooling
towers,
that's
really
just
water
vapor,
and
that
will
continue
whether
we're
burning
coal
or
whether
we're
burning
natural
gas.
Well,.
A
In
just
in
the
last
few
minutes
we
have
done,
we
are
now
sort
of
changing
seasons,
we
are
adding
the
Ames
electric
services
is
a
summer
peaking
utility
and
we're
kind
of
you
know
getting
sort
of
on
the
home
stretch
of
people
not
running
air
conditioners
and
now.
Turning
on
the
heat,
what
are
some
things?
People
can
do
to
prepare
now
for
the
change
in
seasons?
Well,.
B
There
are
several
things,
even
though
people,
for
example
in
their
homes,
have
changed
out
there,
their
air
filters.
It's
really
good
from
an
efficiency
standpoint
to
try
to
change
out
those
air
filters
on
a
monthly
basis.
Several
of
us
usually
try
to
change
it
out
when
the
cooling
season
starts,
and
we
forget
about
that
in
the
in
the
winter
season.
So
I
would,
I
would
definitely
change
out
your
air
filter
in
your
in
your
furnace.
B
B
Fireplaces
I
know
that's
something
I'm
going
to
be
thinking
about
the
next
week
when
it
eventually
gets
cold,
so
I'll
start
lighting,
pilot
lights
and
things
like
that.
It's
really
the
other
thing
that
I
think
happens
to
is
is
we're
going
to
start
using
our
lights
a
little
bit
more.
You
know
it's
going
to
get
darker
sooner
more
lights,
you're
going
to
be
on
I,
highly,
encourage
people
to
change
out
those
those
old
incandescent
and
now
even
the
fluorescence
to
LEDs
light
emitting
diode
yeah.
A
B
Have
one
over
bring
up?
Ok,
I'm
one
other
thing
and
we
have
an
advisory
board
appointed
by
the
council
and
one
of
the
things
that
both
Council
and
our
advisory
board
is
hearing
a
lot
about
is
solar
energy
and
with
solar
energy.
This
is
something
that
I
think
the
utility
is
very
interested
in
and
we
want
to
have
a
dialogue
with
our
customers
on
different
aspects
of
that.
Should
we
build
a
big
solar
farm?
B
Should
we
work
with
individual
customers,
and
things
like
that,
so
right
now
on,
the
calendar
is
placed
a
kind
of
a
public
meeting
with
your
ab,
which
is
the
advisory
board
for
november
16,
6
p.m.
at
the
city
hall,
city,
council
chambers.
Yes,
it
is,
and
so
we're
going
to
be
getting
a
lot
more
information.
B
A
That's
great
thanks
for
all
the
information
I
know
you're
busy,
and
it's
always
great
to
have
you
by.
If
you
want
more
information
on
that,
your
Rabb
public
input
meeting
just
remember,
you
can
check
our
website
again.
That
is
Monday
November
16th
at
six
pm
at
the
city
council
chambers
at
city
hall,
515,
clark
avenue
also
some
other
dates
for
your
calendar.
Remember
we're
getting
into
fall,
and
this
is
the
season
of
autumn
leaves,
if
you
want
leaves
to.
If
you
want
to
get
rid
of
your
leaves
for
free,
remember,
yard.
A
Waste
free
days
will
be
held
for
four
Saturdays
in
the
fall.
That's
Tober,
24th
november
seventh
november
21st
and
december
5th,
again
more
information
on
all
those
events
on
our
website
at
city
of
ames
org.
Well,
that's
our
show
for
today,
thanks
for
watching
and
tune
in
next
week
for
this
week
in
Ames.