PMCI looks to promote solar, wind nationally
There were days earlier in my career when I called Dawn Carlson to talk to her about the challenges small independent gas stations faced because of regulations requiring elaborate monitoring and cleanup of underground storage tanks.
Times have changed. When we sat down the other day, Carlson, president of Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores of Iowa, talked more about ways to improve solar and wind energy in Iowa, climate change, and how to navigate the world of biofuels.
We got together to discuss plans for PMCI’s Energy Conference, which runs Monday through Wednesday in Des Moines. The event, which has an admission charge, is expected to draw attendees from 27 states and four countries with a crowd of more than 200 expected. Next year, it might move to another state at least temporarily, because Carlson is dedicated to spreading the word nationally about diversifying energy sources.
Carlson’s organization is moving deliberately to address all kinds of energy issues — biofuels, climate change, carbon emissions, solar, wind, biomass and ethanol.
“A long time ago we just had legacy fuels, refined products that we were offering,” Carlson said. “Then we started offering ethanol and biodiesel and other kinds of fuels. Now we are offering compressed natural gas and other products. Whatever the customer wants, that is what we are going to be offering.”
At the same time, Carlson encourages convenience stores to look at their own energy use. With free fuel, solar and wind could help their bottom lines while reducing heat-trapping carbon emissions, she said. “Solar power and wind power could impact local convenience stores, which are huge energy users.”
“We are all about reducing our carbon footprint,” Carlson said. “We are monitoring carbon credits. We are hoping to develop a similar system to the West Coast (for trading).”
“We aren’t just talking about ethanol and biodiesel,” Carlson said. “We are talking about solar and wind energy as well. All forms of energy. We see that as our future.”
The evolution came from observing the industry.
“We went to a lot of conferences, but we found they were one-sided,” Carlson said. “Either they just represented the petroleum interests, or they were from the ethanol side or the biodiesel side. We wanted to bring everybody together at one conference and really talk about how do we make national policy for all stakeholders.”
Interested in the conference?
Here’s a sampling of the speakers: Eichberger, executive director of the Fuels Institute; Douglas S. Haugh, president of Mansfield Oil Co.; and former Hawkeye football star Tim Dwight, principal at Integrated Power Corp. and president of the Iowa Solar Energy Trade Association. Participants will also tour facilities at Iowa State University.
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