Wind power in Iowa - wikipedia Wind power in Iowa Hancock County Wind Energy Center in Hancock County, Iowa, with 148 Vestas V47 - 660kW wind turbines for a total nameplate capacity of 97.68 MW. Half of the wind turbines are southwest of Klemme and the other half are south - southeast of Duncan. NextEra Energy Resources owns the wind farm, which began operating in 2002. Making up more than 35 % of the state 's generated electricity, Iowa is a leading U.S. state in wind power generation. The development of wind power in Iowa began with a state law, enacted in 1983, requiring investor owned utilities purchase 105 MW of power from wind generation. In 2016, over 20 billion kWh of electrical energy was generated by wind power. As of February 2016, Iowa had over 6,300 megawatts ( MW ) of capacity. By 2020 the percentage of wind generated electricity in Iowa could reach 40 percent. Contents 1 Overview 2 Windpower industry 3 List of wind farms in Iowa 4 Wind generation 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Overview Wind Power in Rural Iowa In addition to federal programs, the state of Iowa encourages development of renewable electricity sources through a 1 cent per kilowatt hour tax credit. Also, generation equipment and facilities receive property tax breaks, and generation equipment is exempt from sales tax. The development of wind power in Iowa began with the enactment in 1983 of a state law that required investor - owned utilities in the state to buy a total of 105 MW of power from wind generated electricity, one of the first renewable electricity portfolio standards. This provided assurance to those building wind power installations that there would be a market for the electricity they produced. Iowa has the highest density of wind power generation capacity. In 2010 and in 2009, Iowa led the U.S. in the percentage of electrical power generated by wind, at 15.4 percent and 14.2 percent. This was up from 7.7 percent in 2008, as there was a large increase in the installed capacity in 2008. Some of the wind power generated electricity is sold to utility companies in nearby states, such as Wisconsin, and Illinois. Wind farms are most prevalent in the north and west portion of Iowa. Wind maps show the winds in these areas to be stronger on average, making them better suited for the development of wind energy. Average wind speeds are not consistent from month to month. Wind maps show wind speeds are on average strongest from November through April, peaking in March. August is the month with the weakest average wind speeds. On a daily cycle, there is a slight rise in average wind speeds in the afternoon, from 1 to 6 p.m. Estimates by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory ( NREL ) indicate Iowa has potentially 570,700 Megawatts of wind power using large turbines mounted on 80 meter towers. Iowa ranks seventh in the country in terms of wind energy generation potential due to the strong average wind speeds in the midsection of the U.S. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet distributes current weather and wind conditions from approximately 450 monitoring stations across Iowa, providing data for modelling and predicting wind power. The average capacity factor of Iowa wind farms has been estimated as 33.3 % by a wind industry consultant. For newer installations, higher capacity factors, approaching 40 %, have been stated. Production numbers for 2013, when wind capacity remained almost constant, showed a capacity factor over 34 percent. Due to these better wind conditions, Iowa generated more electricity from wind power in 2013 than California, even though it had less wind power capacity installed. And again in 2014 Iowa was number two in wind power generation behind only Texas. With the completion of some projects in 2016, only Texas has a higher amount of installed wind power capacity. Several of the newer projects are the large 500 MW Highland Wind Energy Center and the O'Brien Wind Farm in O'Brien county, and the Ida Wind farm in Ida county. These were constructed in 2015 and 2016. According to the Iowa Office of Energy Independence, lack of transmission line capacity is beginning to restrict further growth of wind farms in the state. A report from the NREL acknowledges that this is a major hurdle to increased wind power development in the U.S. A high voltage DC line that would transmit power from near Sioux City to the Chicago area has been proposed. MidAmerican Energy, in 2015, completed five projects in Iowa totaling over 1,000 MW of capacity. The projects are in O'Brien, Marshall, Webster, Grundy, and Madison counties. 448 wind turbines manufactured by Siemens are to be constructed. At a cost of some 1.9 billion dollars, this will be Iowa 's largest economic development project to date. The largest project, the Highland Wind Energy Center in O'Brien county, has 500 MW of generation capacity, making it the state 's largest. From October 23 to 24, 2017, wind power provided all the power consumed by MidAmerica Energy 's Iowa customers. This was the first time wind generation reached this threshold, aided by sustained winds of 25 mph ( 40 km / h ) with gusts to 40 mph ( 65 km / h ). A new transmission line is being built to transmit some of the power from the Highland project to the Spencer and Iowa Great Lakes area. Additionally, power will be transmitted by an existing 345 kilovolt line running from south of Sioux City to Lakefield, Minnesota. Windpower industry A number of companies involved in the windpower industry have office or manufacturing facilities in Iowa. Blades for wind turbines are manufactured in Newton by TPI Composites and in Fort Madison by Siemens. Towers are also manufactured in Newton by Trinity Structural Towers. Companies manufacturing other parts for wind turbines are located in Iowa as well. In addition to manufacturing, various companies support the development of wind power projects. The wind power industry employs 6,000 to 7,000 people in Iowa. Nearly $10 billion has been invested in Iowa 's wind power projects and manufacturing facilities. In late September 2007, Siemens Power Generation opened its new wind turbine blade factory in Fort Madison, on the banks of the Mississippi River. The factory can produce more than 2000 blades annually. A plant expansion in 2008 brought the facility up to nearly 600,000 square feet, up from 310,000. The facility manufactures 148 - foot ( 45 m ) - long, 12 - ton blades for the company 's 2.3 - MW wind turbines installed in the United States. The Iowa Office of Energy Independence ( OEI ) is tasked with determining policy and setting goals towards renewable energy production. The office seeks to coordinate efforts between industry, community leaders, state and local government, and educational institutions to achieve energy policy goals. List of wind farms in Iowa Rolling Hills Adams Macksburg Crystal Lake Ida Carroll Victory Prairie Bvr C. Obrien Highland Rippey Wellsburg Story County Pioneer Prairie Endeavor Pomeroy Century Whispering Willow Buena Vista Top of Iowa Adair Barton Intrepid Des Moines Cedar Rapids Sioux City Wind power projects in Iowa Operating Under construction Iowa Electricity Generation Sources The following lists some of the wind projects in Iowa. Name Location Intrepid between Schaller and Storm Lake, north of U.S. 20 Top Of Iowa near Joice, west of I - 35 Story County I north of Colo Story County II south of Humboldt, Story and Hardin counties Pomeroy between Pomeroy and Fonda, along Iowa 7 Endeavor near Lake - Park, Harris along Iowa 9 Century north of Blairsburg, along U.S. 69, west of I - 35 Buena Vista Alta, Peterson, Truesdale area Victory near Arcadia and Westside, U.S. 30 Carroll northwest of Carroll, near Mt. Carmel & Breda Hancock County Klemme Hardin Hilltop north of Jefferson, 7 towers Charles City west of Charles City Walnut near Walnut ( n.e. of Council Bluffs ), mostly south of I - 80 Whispering Willow Wind Farm Franklin County, between Hampton and Iowa Falls Adair South of Adair, near I - 80 Barton near Kensett, east of I - 35 Crystal Lake between Buffalo Center and Crystal Lake, Hancock and Winnebago Counties Pioneer Prairie Howard & Mitchell Counties Crosswind Energy southeast of Ruthven, U.S. 18 Lost Lakes West of Milford - Dickinson County Iowa Lakes Superior near Superior, U.S. 71 Iowa Lakes Lakota near Lakota, Iowa 9 Laurel west of Laurel Rippey between Rippey & Grand Jct Vienna south of Gladbrook The Spirit, Endeavor, Buena Vista, Lost Lakes, and Crosswind Energy wind farms are all located upon the Coteau des Prairies, a slightly elevated area that results in the windiest locations in Minnesota and Iowa. Coteau des Prairies is sometimes referred to as Buffalo Ridge, which is actually a specific ridge within the area, mostly in Minnesota. Power from the Iowa Lakes Superior and Iowa Lakes Lakota projects is used by ethanol fuel plants in their respective communities. Wind generation Iowa Wind Generation ( GWh, Million kWh ) Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total % of Production 2013 1,663 1,380 1,414 1,465 1,421 1,089 864 674 1,190 1,352 1,757 1,303 15,568 27.5 % 2014 1,849 1,324 1,729 1,757 1,261 1,027 915 543 976 1,478 1,985 1,435 16,307 28.7 % 2015 1,811 1,578 1,653 1,609 1,607 911 799 1,004 1,330 1,699 2,039 1,833 17,878 31.3 % 2016 1,737 1,894 1,859 2,343 1,334 1,309 983 789 1,556 1,796 2,050 2,422 20,072 36.9 % 2017 1,629 1,970 2,228 2,075 1,805 1,599 1,059 894 1,314 14,573 ( YTD ) 34.4 % ( YTD ) Colored background indicates wind was the largest source of generation that month. Iowa Wind Generation in 2016 See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wind power in Iowa. List of wind farms in the United States Rock Island Clean Line References Jump up ^ `` US wind energy generation reached 5.5 % of the grid in 2016 ''. REVE - Wind Energy and Electric Vehicle Review. 6 March 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Electricity Data Browser ''. U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. Retrieved January 29, 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` EIA Electric Power Monthly, February, 2017 ''. PDF ( report ). U.S. Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy. March 24, 2017. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Installed Wind Capacity ''. Midamerican Energy. Midamerican Energy Company. Retrieved February 4, 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` AWEA U.S. Wind Industry Fourth Quarter 2015 Market Report - Executive Summary '' ( PDF ). Report. AWEA. January 30, 2016. Jump up ^ Branstad, Terry. `` Iowa has the blueprint for energy independence ''. Governor 's Wind Energy Coalition. Retrieved 3 September 2015. Jump up ^ Iowa renewable tax credits Jump up ^ National wind - Iowa wind data Jump up ^ Database of State Incentives for Renwables and Efficiency ^ Jump up to : Wiser, Mike. `` Wind energy helping power Iowa economy ''. wcfcourrier.com. Retrieved 7 December 2011. Jump up ^ Energy Information Administration - Electric Power Monthly March 2011 Jump up ^ Energy efficiency. Rethinking the energy system here in the U.S. Jump up ^ Crane Creek Wind Farm Jump up ^ Iberdrola in deal to sell power from Iowa wind farm Jump up ^ Iowa wind maps Jump up ^ Iowa monthly wind maps Jump up ^ Geography and Wind - Iowa Energy Center Jump up ^ Iowa policy project Jump up ^ Meteorology - IAWIND Jump up ^ Iowa Utilities Board Jump up ^ North American Windpower Jump up ^ ( EIA electric power monthly, February 2013 ) Jump up ^ `` EIA Electric Power Monthly, December 2013 ''. PDF. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy. February 21, 2010. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 17. Jump up ^ Jackson, David ( March 12, 2015 ). `` Report : Wind power could be 35 % of supply by 2050 ''. USAToday. Retrieved March 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` MidAmerican Energy completes two major wind projects totaling more than 1.2 GW ''. WTWH Media, LLC. February 5, 2016. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 26. Jump up ^ Chernova, Yuliya ( October 19, 2009 ). `` The Answer Is Blowing in... Iowa ''. The Wall Street Journal. Jump up ^ NREL Eastern Area Wind Energy Study Jump up ^ Transmission Line Proposed for Iowa Jump up ^ Iowa 's Biggest Economic Project Ever, nbcnews.com Jump up ^ Midamerican Energy announces construction of wind projects in Iowa - Iowa Energy Center Jump up ^ Buffet 's $1 billion order shows wind power rivals coal energy, Business week Jump up ^ High winds bring milestone for Iowa, AP, Oct. 28, 2017. Carried in the Des Moines Register, Washington Times Jump up ^ Mid-American's busy 2014 construction year, Cherokee Chronicle Times ^ Jump up to : Iowa Office of Energy Independence ^ Jump up to : `` Iowa Wind Energy Fact Sheet '' ( PDF ). PDF ( report ). Iowa Environmental Council. March 201h. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 26. Check date values in : date = ( help ) ^ Jump up to : Iowa Wind Energy Association Jump up ^ Siemens produces 5,000 th blade at Fort Madison facility Jump up ^ Siemens ' Fort Madison facility facts Jump up ^ `` EIA - Electricity Data ''. www.eia.gov. Retrieved 6 March 2017. Jump up ^ Google buys power from Iowa wind farm Jump up ^ Victory I -- Iowa Jump up ^ dead link Jump up ^ Iberdrola Renewables Supplies 50 Megawatts to We Energies from Barton Wind Power Project Jump up ^ Iowa wind farms supported by USDA Renewable Energy Program ^ Jump up to : Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative Lakota and Superior projects ^ Jump up to : Superior wind farm ^ Jump up to : `` RPMAccess Projects ''. RPMAccess. Retrieved 28 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` Electric Power Monthly ''. U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. Retrieved February 24, 2017. External links Iowa Alliance for Wind Innovation and Novel Development Wind energy data for Iowa at The Wind Power Iowa Office of Energy Independence : Wind Wind power in the United States American Wind Energy Association NASA wind turbines United States Wind Energy Policy Wind farms in the US Offshore wind farms in the US Wind Powering America Wind power by state Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Large wind farms Alta Wind Energy Center Altamont Pass Biglow Canyon Buffalo Gap Capricorn Ridge Cedar Creek Fowler Ridge Highland Horse Hollow Klondike Lone Star Meadow Lake Panther Creek Peetz Peñascal Roscoe San Gorgonio Pass Shepherds Flat Tehachapi Pass Windy Point / Windy Flats Wind power companies Aermotor Windmill Company Deepwater Wind GE Wind Energy Iberdrola Renovables Infigen Energy Invenergy National Wind Native Wind NextEra Energy Resources Siemens Wind Power UGE International Vestas Wind Capital Group Energy in the United States Politics and law Energy Lobby Energy policy Energy Policy Act ( 1992 ) ( 2005 ) Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act Energy subsidies Federal Power Act Offshore drilling debate Renewable portfolio standard Secretary of Energy Energy law of the United States North American energy independence Energy by state Arkansas California Hawaii Idaho Ohio Oregon Vermont Sources Material Biofuel Coal Geothermal Hydroelectric Nuclear Petroleum Renewable Solar by state Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Wind by state Alaska Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Montana Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Dakota Oklahoma Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania South Dakota Texas Vermont Washington Wyoming Environmental issues Greenhouse gas emissions State CO emissions Emission standards CAFE standards Governmental Agencies PMAs ( BPA WAPA SEPA SWPA ) CARB DOE ( EIA EERE NREL OE ) EPA FERC NRC TVA USGS Organizations ACORE APPA AA API ASES AWEA BTEC EEI EBI EESI EPRI NRECA NEI PFI PIA RMI Energy portal Sustainable development portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wind_power_in_Iowa&oldid=815230291 '' Categories : Wind power in Iowa Hidden categories : CS1 errors : dates Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 13 December 2017, at 15 : 43. 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Question: where does iowa rank in wind energy production
Answer: seventh in the country