The changing face of Iowa: wind turbines
June 10, 2009 by James
Filed under Agriculture, Business, Economics, Education, Environment, Featured, Great Places, Guest Writer: Lindberg, James G., In the News, Iowa, Manufacturing, Neighbors, Science, The World is a Science Lab
It’s windy in Iowa. (I didn’t have to tell you, did I?)
It’s hard to miss Iowa’s new wind turbines. They continue to spring up in Western Iowa along Interstate 80 in areas including one called Windy Hills. The turbines are on both sides of I-80 in Adair , Cass , and Pottawattamie Counties.
Today we find that Mid-American Energy has over 100 turbines in Pottawatamie County alone where many of the pictures above were taken at the Walnut Wind Project.
Money is blowing in the wind.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists each turbine will net the landowner $2,000 -5,000/year in royalties. That’s great news in counties where the average farm is near 440 acres and the crop value per harvested acre has been running between $205 – 225/acre.
How are we doing in terms of absolute capacity compared to the rest of the country? We’re doing well; currently we are even with California in absolute capacity. DOE puts us 3rd in the nation; citing Dirk Lammers Yahoo says 2nd, where Texas is first.
- Iowa has 2862 MW of capacity (with our population of 3 million that’s about 1 kW/person)
- California has 2868 MW with their population of 36 million
- In Iowa we’re producing 10% of the nation’s wind power. I’m impressed!
- Trinity Structural Towers in Newton where President Obama spoke on Earth Day 2009
- German-based Siemens that manufactures turbine blades in Fort Madison (You’ll see them moving down I-80.)
- Acciona (based in Spain) has a wind turbine assembly plant in West Branch but has recently cut some jobs
A few possibilities have not worked out yet but many are still in progress.
- TPI Composites will eventually manufacture blades for GE wind turbines in Newton
- Plans of Hendricks Industries, a company that had planned to build towers in Keokuk were derailed when CEO Ken Hendricks died but
- Minnesota-based National Wind is building Red Rock Wind Farm in Emmett and Dickinson Counties in Northwest Iowa, and
- Florida-based NextEra Energy (previously FPL who bought out Clipper Wind) has announced plans to build a wind generator repair facility in Story County.
It’s good for us. Enjoy it. Comparatively, Iowa is way ahead. There is space. Our leadership and legislature were not beholden to any established energy producer. Wind projects have brought money into the state; less money will go out to purchase energy.
Resources for further information
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (US DOE)
- energy matters (Australia)
- Wind Power A to Z
- You Tube videos on wind energy
photos by James G. Lindberg
James is James G. Lindberg (Jim) is the Purple Wren’s sweetie and is a visiting chemistry professor at Grinnell College and retired from Drake University.
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