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"By the end of 2015, our expected megawatt total will be 6,300, which will be over 30 percent of our entire generation for the state of Iowa that will come from wind power," he explained.
Due to Iowa's high amount of wind generation, electrical rates in the state have remained low.
"Iowa's electricity rates are below the national average and 30 percent below Wisconsin's rates," Prior explained. "Only 2 percent of Wisconsin energy is wind generated compared to Iowa's 28 percent. Wind energy is a good, clean, renewable energy that does a fantastic job keeping our energy rates low."
Texas is now producing over 12 megawatts of power with wind, twice what Iowa produces. Iowa may have a higher percentage of its requirements supplied by wind, but down here we are running refineries and concrete plants 24/7.
Its all in how the numbers are crunched, expenses for wind turbines are depreciated on a 5 year schedule, yet they will produce power for 15-20 years, its all about the write-offs
Wind power makes a lot sense in many parts of the midwest and great plains, and many parts of the west also. Good for Iowa, it is good for their local economy. Kansas also has figured out that wind power is a good idea for many parts of the state.
A little town called Rock Port, on a ridge in the northwest corner of Missouri, just a few miles south of Iowa, has a row of wind turbines installed by the local electric co-op. The town has just under 2000 residents. The wind turbines from their town are connected to the grid, but if you add up all the power produced by their local turbines per year, it exceeds the annual power consumption for all the residents of Rock Port. As a result, the local electric co-op keeps rates stable and low for the local residents. I learned about all this when I visited the town last year to find the cemetery and grave site where my great-great grandfather was buried in 1872. I found the cemetery and grave, and found out a few more things about the little town of Rock Port, MO.
Wind energy in wide open, sparsely settled areas of the southwestern US has one significant advantage. Wind turbines can be located on hilltop ridges and dry desert locations (common in the southwest) and produce power. No water source or water consumption - something that can be an advantage over fossil, nuclear, hydro (of course) and even some kinds of solar power plants.
Its all in how the numbers are crunched, expenses for wind turbines are depreciated on a 5 year schedule, yet they will produce power for 15-20 years, its all about the write-offs
No...its that Federal law REQUIRES BPA to buy and pay for wind power. This happens during the spring when endangered salmon and steelhead smolts need to be moved downstream. So the Federal and local dams must run full bore for endangered species.
In the Northwest, spring is when the wind blows. It is also the time we have so much surplus electricity that it is dumped. Of course, the corporate wind farms get paid at higher than market rate while local county owned dams cannot sell their power.
It is REALLY STUPID to be mandated that high priced electricity from wind must be purchased, while cheap hydro produced by county dams must be dumped!! So public power ends up paying the cost for corporate industrial wind areas.
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