Location: Kellogg, IA (High 73, Low 52)
The other day when we were traveling I-80 toward South Dakota, I was awestruck when we passed through an area that had wind turbines as far as the eye could see. I noticed the sign identifying it as the Adair Wind Project. I took some pictures and classified it as a “cool thing to see.”
But today, when we drove through it again, I decided to learn a little more about it.
I wish I could take pictures that do it justice. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the wind turbines stretching off into the horizon.
I learned that Iowa is a leading US state in wind power generation with 24.5% of the state's electricity generation coming from wind in 2012. It is surpassed only by Texas and California.
Wind farms are mostly found in the north and western parts of Iowa, as that is where the winds are the strongest and most reliable.
I tried to find out how many wind turbines there are here at this wind farm. I found a couple different numbers, but it looks like there are between 250 and 300 wind turbines located here. And that’s just in this one wind farm. I found a list of wind farms in Iowa, which listed about 30 different locations throughout Iowa.
I had no idea that wind energy was so prevalent in IA…I’m glad that I decided to find out more about it.
Speaking of Iowa, this is our last night here in the Hawkeye State…tomorrow morning we head out bright and early to head back to Elkhart, IN.
We drove through the eastern part of Colorado and saw one area with a lot of them. We have seen them in about seven states already.
ReplyDeleteGlad everything went smooth in SD.
I'm surprised to hear that they generate that much of the state's energy with wind, that is great. I would often see the wind turbines when I travel, but never took the time to research it.
ReplyDeleteWhen you hit Indiana, give the ground a pat for us. We miss that cold, damp state....NOT!
ReplyDeleteWe saw those turbines in many states. There is a ton of them in Thousand Palm area of CA. They do look a little strange, but helpful I suppose.
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