Statewide Iowa — The third quarter report released by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Thursday shows Iowa upped its lead in the amount of power produced by wind turbines.
Governor Terry Branstad made the announcement in the rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol.
The AWEA report says Iowa is the frist state to produce 30 percent or more of its electricity from wind. Kansas is second behind Iowa, followed by South Dakota, with both producting more than 25 percent of their state’s electricity with wind. Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds says the approval of and ongoing construction of new wind farms could soon push Iowa’s production higher.
MidAmerican Energy vice president Mike Feher says his company wants to keep increasing its wind capacity along with its other renewables.
Alliant Energy vice president Terry Kouba says his company is also moving forward with more wind energy.
AWEA Board Chair, Chris Brown, says Iowa saw the potential of wind power before other states and it has paid off.
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Brown says Iowa’s open landscape also lends itself well to wind farms.
Brown says better technology and improved turbines have brought the cost of wind down and that has also led to the success in Iowa.
Brown says the power produced by wind has helped Iowa lure businesses like Google and Microsoft to the state. And he says farmers are benefiting from rental payments made for the land where wind turbines are built.
