Wind Energy
- Wind Energy [PDF: 1.66MB] — Iowa Leads a Growing Industry
- Iowa ranks second nationally in current wind generation output with 3,043 megawatts installed with 2,136 turbines across the state. (AWEA, 2009).
- Iowa leads the nation in wind generation as percentage of total power output at 15%. (IPP 2009)
- Des Moines-based MidAmerican Energy Company is "First in the Nation" among rate-regulated utilities in ownership of wind energy farms with about 536 turbines and 1940 megawatts in production.
- Iowa is a magnet for wind energy manufacturing companies, attracted by Iowa’s strong manufacturing base, excellent transportation infrastructure and skilled workforce. As of February 2009, nine international manufacturing companies have located in Iowa (IDED, 2009).
- Over the last three years, Iowa leads the nation in attracting wind manufacturers with 200 other companies in the supply chain.
- Governor Culver challenged Iowa utilities to increase the state's wind energy capacity to 25% megawatts by the year 2015. In 2008, Iowa's wind energy capacity totaled 1,586 megawatts.
- The Iowa Power Fund and Iowa Office of Energy Independence– created by the Iowa Legislature in 2007 – provides a $100 million grant resource to promote the goals of Iowa energy independence. (IDED, 2008) The Iowa Power Fund promotes Iowa’s burgeoning wind industry through funding research and development, early commercialization, and innovation that leads to market transformation (Office of Energy Independence, 2008).
- 1,000 megawatts of energy can power 250,000 homes and is the equivalent to removing the emissions placed in the atmosphere by 682,000 cars in the state of Iowa in a year's time.
- A recent study conducted by "Wind Utility Consulting" projects that, within a 600 mile radius of Iowa, approximately $5.7 billion dollars in wind generation projects will be constructed each year over the next five years.
- A recent report by the Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers Union showed that Iowa has the potential to create 5,193 new wind energy manufacturing jobs in the state.
- Iowa and Texas are the only two states in the nation to manufacture all of the main components of a wind turbine — turbines, blades and towers.
- The Iowa Alliance for Wind Innovation and Novel Development [www.iawind.org] is an alliance of industry, government, and education that provide support to expand wind energy and related industries in Iowa.
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