Since earliest recorded history, windpower has been used to move ships,grind grain, and pump water. Today, wind power is also being used to pro-vide electricity to homes, schools, busi-nesses, and entire communities. Morethan half the United States have windresources that could support the devel-opment of utility-scale wind powerplants.
The Midwest, including Iowa, has beendescribed as the "Saudi Arabia of windenergy" because of its strong winds.Iowa is the eleventh windiest state in thenation, with nearly 40% of its land areaoffering wind generation capabilities.The state has the potential to produce4.8 times its own annual electrical con-sumption through wind power. Becauseof decreasing capital costs, new techno-logical advances, and favorable legisla-tion, wind power is Iowa’s—and theworld’s—fastest growing renewableresource.
Green Power"Green power" is power produced byrenewable or environmentally friendlyenergy sources, as distinct from powerproduced by fossil fuel, nuclear, andother types of generators. Customerscan arrange to purchase a certainamount of green power (actually energy,in kilowatt-hours [kWh]) per month, forwhich they commonly pay a small pre-mium to completely or partly offset anyhigher cost of renewable power sources.The policy of transferring these costs togreen power customers is called "greenpricing."
State Financial IncentivesIowa offers a state sales tax exemptionfor the total cost of wind energy equip-ment and all materials used to manufac-ture, install, or construct wind energysystems. This sales tax exemptionapplies to both commercial and residen-tial systems. The exemption does notcover the sales taxes paid by a com-pany in purchasing equipment to con-struct a plant to manufacture windsystems.
Iowa also offers a state loan pro-gram for commercial, industrial,and residential alternative energyprojects. This loan program isadministered by the Iowa EnergyCenter at Iowa State Universityand is funded by the state’sinvestor-owned utilities. Between1997 and 1999, $1.8 million wasappropriated. The program offerszero (0%) interest loans for asmuch as half of the project costup to a maximum of $250,000.Funds are available for varioustechnologies in the following percentages: solar: 5%, methane:30%, biomass 20%, small wind(<10 kW): 10%, big wind (>10 kW):20% and hydropower: 15%.
State SummaryInstalled — 243 megawatts (MW)
Planned — 0.6
In-State Wind Energy Potential:104,300 MW capacity after land
use and environmental exclusions
172 billion kWh per year electric energy
Installed ProjectsAdair, 0.225 MW, annual output490,000 kWh, power purchased byAlliant/IES Utilities, Vestas turbines
Akron-Westfield, annual output 0.6 MW,power purchased by Akron-WestfieldCommunity Schools, Vestas turbines
Algona, 2.25 MW, annual output 5M kWh,power purchased by Cedar FallsUtilities, Zond Systems, Inc., turbines
Allendorf, 1.2 MW, annual output 2.3 MkWh, power purchased by Alliant/IESUtilities, NEG Micon turbines
Forest City, 0.6 MW, annual output 1.3 MkWh, power purchased by Forest CityMunicipality, Nordex turbines
Joice, 0.25 MW, power purchased byAlliant/IES Utilities, Nordex turbines
Nevada, 0.45 MW, annual output349,661 kWh, power purchased byAlliant/IES Utilities, WindWorld turbines
Wind Powering America
Iowa
Clean Energy for the 21st Century
What is the installed wind energy capacity in the United States?
By January 2000, the totalU.S. installed wind energycapacity was 2500 MW.(See http://www.awea.org/faq/instcap.html) That’senough electricity to meetthe needs of 600,000 to800,000 typical U.S.homes.
Nevada, 0.225 MW, power purchased byAlliant/IES Utilities, Vestas turbines
Spirit Lake, 0.25 MW, annual output242,136 kWh, Alliant/IES Utilities,WindWorld turbines
Waverly, 0.085 MW, annual output86,990 kWh, power purchased byWaverly Light & Power, Vestas turbines
Buena Vista City Storm Lake I, 112.50 MW,power purchased by MidAmerican, ZondSystems, Inc., turbines
Storm Lake, 80.25 MW, power purchasedby Alliant/IES Utilities, Zond Systems,Inc., turbines
Clear Lake, 42 MW, power purchased byAlliant/FORAS/FPL Energy, NEG Miconturbines
Buena Vista City Storm Lake II, 1.5 MW,power purchased by Waverly Light &Power, Zond Systems, Inc., turbines.
Key ContactsIowa Department of Natural Resources(515) [email protected]/dnr/energy/programs/ren/wind.htm
Iowa
Produced for the U.S. Departmentof Energy by the NationalRenewable Energy Laboratory, a DOE national laboratory
DOE/GO-102000-1000April 2000
Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper
containing at least 50% wastepaper, including
20% postconsumer waste
Additional ResourcesNational Renewable Energy Laboratory
National Wind Technology Center1617 Cole BoulevardGolden, Colorado 80401(303) 384-6979www.nrel.gov/wind
U.S. Department of EnergyChicago Regional OfficeOne South Wacker Drive, Suite 2380
Chicago, Illinois 60606(312) 353-6749
U.S. Department of EnergyWind Energy ProgramForrestal Building1000 Independence Ave., S.W.Washington, D.C. 20585(202) 586-5348www.eren.doe.gov/wind
American Wind Energy Association
122 C Street, NW, 4th FloorWashington, D.C. 20001phone (202) 383-2500fax (202) 383-2505www.awea.org
