Wind Energy
MidAmerican Energy has invested significantly in environmentally friendly wind energy. We're able to provide our wind generation at no net cost to our customers. Our wind development helps maintain affordable rates and has made Iowa a wind energy leader.
MidAmerican has over 7,000 megawatts of clean, renewable energy generated from more than 3,300 turbines spread across Iowa. Our wind farms generate enough electricity to power over 2.3 million average households each year. We're also exploring new technologies – like battery storage – to make wind energy go further.
MidAmerican leads the nation in our quest to provide 100% renewable energy to our Iowa customers through our GreenAdvantage® program. The program allows Iowa customers to claim a verified renewable energy amount to help them reach their sustainability goals. In 2020, we delivered 83.6% renewable energy on an annual basis to customers across the state. And that number keeps growing.
From turbine blade manufacturing to construction jobs to wind turbine technicians and partner landowners, wind energy helps Iowa's economy. It also provides direct long-term economic benefits to the state's rural areas:
- To date, MidAmerican has invested approximately $13 billion in wind energy projects, creating construction and permanent jobs across the state.
- In 2020, MidAmerican paid approximately $35.7 million in landowner easement/lease payments for our wind projects.
- Also in 2020, we paid approximately $31 million in property tax payments on our wind turbines spanning 31 counties. That provides funding to schools, roads and bridges, county health services and emergency responders.
