The federal government says Iowa became the first state in 2015 to provide more than 30 percent of its electricity generation from wind. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said Iowa’s wind farms generated more than 31 percent of all generation in the state. South Dakota was second with 25.5 percent of all generation per megawatt hour and Kansas was third at 23.9 percent. Oklahoma ranked fourth at 18.14 percent with a 2010 goal of 15 percent by 2015. North Dakota was fifth with 17.7 percent of its electricity manufactured by wind farms.
“We are proud of Iowa’s leadership in wind energy,” said Gov. Terry Brandstad, Chairman of the governor’s Wind and Solar and Energy Coalition. “We’ve seen exponential growth in wind energy and the data released last week reinforces what we’ve been seeing in every corner of our state. With potential to jump above 40 percent in the next five years, we are committed to building an even greener Iowa future that will provide our Iowa families with cleaner, renewable energy and job opportunities.”
The American Wind Energy Association said the growing number of wind farms in Iowa attracted $11.8 billion to the state’s economy. Tom Kiernan, CEO of the Association agreed that wind in Iowa can supply 40 percent of the state’s in-state electricity generation within the next five years, generating enough electricity for 6.3 million average American homes.
“Iowa is blessed with world-class wind resources,” he said. “More than ever low-cost wind energy is keeping our air clean and cutting costs for consumers. American wind power is well on its way to supply 20 percent of U.S. electricity by 2030.”
The report by the EIA indicated that generation from wind-farms in Oklahoma increased by 44 percent from December 2014 to December of 2014. There are more than 3,000 wind turbines operating in Oklahoma.
