Wind energy reduces emissions and water consumption by avoiding generation from fossil-fuel power plants. It helps keep utility costs low and stable.
Iowa generated nearly 60% of its electricity from wind power in 2020, more than any other state. Iowa also ranks second in the nation for installed capacity with over 10,600 MW of wind online, representing $19 billion in capital investment. Companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have chosen Iowa for energy-intensive facilities. Iowa’s robust wind energy portfolio may provide the opportunity for companies, by working with Iowa’s utilities, to operate their facilities with a zero carbon footprint.
Most of the components of wind turbines installed in the United States are manufactured here. There are more than 500 wind-related manufacturing facilities located across 43 states, and the U.S. wind industry currently employs more than 114,000 people. The wind industry directly employed 3,909 Iowans in 2019, including manufacturing, operations and maintenance, and engineering professionals.
The state has attracted investment from major wind industry players including turbine and blade manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and blade manufacturer TPI Composites. Iowa is home to over 9,000 wind industry jobs, while providing millions in revenue to landowners that host turbines and to counties in property tax revenue. Iowa companies in the wind energy supply chain are located across the state.
Wind Energy Facts
- Wind turbine blades average over 190 feet long, and turbine towers average 295 feet tall—about the height of the Statue of Liberty.
- Wind turbine service technicians are the second-fastest growing occupationin the nation behind solar installers.
- Wind turbines generate $78 million annually in lease payments to landowners in Iowa, putting the state second in the nation.
- Wind provides significant property tax revenue to local governments. Wind projects contributed approximately $60 million in tax revenue in 2020.