Primghar, Iowa — Iowa now supplies more of its electricity from wind power than any other state, and the Highland Wind Farm near Primghar is the largest wind farm in Iowa. Governor Terry Branstad has announced that Iowa now generates over 31.3% of its energy from wind, becoming the first, and only, state in the Unites States to top the 30% mark. That’s according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Branstad, who chairs his own Governor’s Wind and Solar Energy Coalition, says the state has seen exponential growth in wind energy, and the data released by the federal government reinforces that.
According to the report, growing wind farms in the state have attracted $11.8-billion dollars to the state’s economy. Branstad says wind can supply 40% of the Hwakeye State’s in-state electricity generation within the next five years, generating eneough electricity for 6.3 million average American homes.
Tom Kiernan, who is CEO of the American Wind Energy Association, says Iowa is tapping into a homegrown resource more than ever, thanks to American innovation and U.S. workers building the most productive wind turbines in the world.
While Iowa finished in the number one spot on the list, the other Midwest states in the top ten were South Dakota in second, at 25.5%, Kansas third at 23.9%, North Dakota fifth at 17.7%, and Minnesota sixth at 17.0%.
