MidAmerican Energy Company

When MidAmerican Energy announced plans to develop a 360.5-megawatt wind energy facility, located on two sites in northwest and north central Iowa, MidAmerican’s environmental services group worked with the state of Iowa and several environmental groups – such as the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy, Iowa State University, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club – to identify areas off limits for development due to specific characteristics that attract birds.

The group created a state-wide map of the areas with known bird populations or habitats, referred to by the environmental community as areas of concern. MidAmerican consciously avoided these areas once the site planning was underway.

MidAmerican also reviewed the United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Services’ Interim Guidance on Avoiding and Minimizing Wildlife Impacts from Wind Turbines, and MidAmerican used those guidelines with turbine vendors, engineering services and construction contractors.

In addition, MidAmerican worked with the Army Corp of Engineers to secure the appropriate permits for potential risks to disturbing any identified wetlands.

The facility is one of the largest land-based wind projects in the world, and regular inspections are conducted to ensure there are no adverse environmental impacts.

If you've ever wondered how wind is used to generate electricity, this is the place to learn. A simple click of the mouse will take you on a guided tour ranging from the history of wind energy to learning how a wind turbine is controlled. Start your tour by selecting any of the numbered icons to view specific operations and examine each phase at your own pace. Or simply select Grand Tour to view the tour start to finish. Enjoy your tour.

If you need clarification of some of the terms used in the tour, see our Glossary of Terms.

You must have either QuickTime or Windows Media Player installed on your computer to view the tour. If you do not have either of these, select a player, and you will automatically be redirected to the appropriate download site.