A national imitative that seeks to develop new energy resources is in its second year of operation in Iowa. Timm Sullivan is the manager of the Industries of the Future project in Iowa. Sullivan says the project is designed to prepare the nation for the future.He says the current economy has proven to be very efficient, but it’s based on petrochemicals and there’s a fear it could become inefficient. Sullivan says the project’s goal is to find alternatives that don’t use oil for energy. He says new energy sources could replace or supplement current sources.The federally funded project requires companies to partner with research institutions such as Iowa State, Iowa of UNI.Sullivan says this will ensure that it’s not research that’s being pushed on the market, but research being done to meet a need.The first phase of the project involved the metal casting and agriculture industries. The agriculture portion of the project is also entering its second year as they draw a plan for the future into the next 50 years.Sullivan says there are more than 700 ag-related manufacturers in Iowa.
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