Latest surface station plot from IEM. Click to enlarge.
Note: For information on reading station plots, click here.
Potential wind power (MW) plot from IEM. Click to enlarge.
Note: Potential wind power calculated by extrapolating
10 m winds to 80 m and using a utility-scale turbine
with 41 m blades. For more information,
click here.
Recent Headlines
Iowa View: It's Time for Iowa to Lead on Climate Change
Des Moines Suburb to Consider Allowing Larger Turbines Within City Limits
The city of Johnston, IA is considering updating its ordinance for wind turbines. Currently, only turbines that generate at most 100 kilowatts and sit
on either rooftops or single poles are legal in the Des Moines suburb. However, DuPont Pioneer wants that to change.
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US to Begin Leasing Offshore Areas for Wind Energy Projects
Earlier this month, the Interior Department announced that the federal government will hold its first lease sale for offshore wind projects. The sale,
to occur at the end of July, will offer 164,750 acres of federal waters to commercial turbine development.
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Iowa State Aims to Characterize Offshore Winds
Researchers at Iowa State University, in concert with Anemometry Specialists, are in the middle of a two-year study of offshore winds. The study, which
started in summer of 2012, has established the goal of developing a greater understanding of winds in the lowest 300 meters of the atmosphere over open water.
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Dr. Julie Lundquist Wins Rising Star Award
On May 7, 2013, the Women of Wind Energy (WoWE) Awards were announced at the AWEA WINDPOWER Conference in Chicago, IL. Among the award winners was
Dr. Julie Lundquist, Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder with a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
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Longest Turbine Blade Made in U.S. Headed for Testing
On May 29, 2013, Vestas rolled out the longest wind turbine blades to be made in the U.S. Measuring 57.5 meters in length, three different prototypes
were manufactured in Brighton, Colorado beginning in December 2012. But these blades aren't headed to a U.S. wind farm just yet. In fact, the blades are on
a journey to a testing site in Denmark.
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MidAmerican Energy Announces $1.9 Billion Wind Energy Investmest in Iowa
Plans for MidAmerican to build new wind turbines in Iowa were recently announced, and the plans are big! Up to 656 new turbines, which equate to 1,050
megawatts of wind generation, will be built by the end of year 2015 in the state. This project will come at no net cost to the company's customers, and estimates
show over $360 million in property tax revenues will be made.
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