It’s American Wind Week and we hope to encourage Iowans to learn more about wind’s impact on our community and celebrate Iowa’s leadership in wind energy production especially with Newton having two wind-industry companies located in our community. Mayor Michael L. Hanson signed a proclamation declaring August 9 - 15 American Wind Week in Newton at the last City Council meeting.
American Wind Week is an annual celebration of ways wind energy is powering a future fueled by clean, reliable, affordable electricity and contributing to a strong 21st century economy. It’s a time to showcase and thank the wind energy workforce and recognize the nearly unmatched investment wind is bringing to rural communities across the country.
Here are some facts about wind energy in Iowa:
- Iowa ranks second in the nation for wind power capacity with nearly 9,000 megawatts installed, producing enough electricity to power nearly 2.1 million homes?
- Iowa’s wind production also ranks second in the nation at 33.7% of all instate electricity production, with current and future projects estimated to bring wind’s share of electricity production to over 40% by 2020.
- Iowa is home to?114 wind farms and 10 wind-related manufacturing facilities.
- Wind energy powers opportunity in cities and communities all across Iowa, resulting in $58 million in state and local tax payments and $20-$30 million in land lease payments in 2018 alone.
- Wind farms in Iowa have attracted over $16.3 billion dollars in private investment to date, helping to spur critical investments in communities that fund manufacturing jobs, education programs, and local economic development projects; and the development of wind power now supports nearly 10,000 jobs across the state.
