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February - Harvesting the Wind
2007-11-04
A familiar sight on the Iowa landscape are the tractors that comb the earth harvesting thousands of acres of corn and soybeans. Less familiar are the statuesque structures dotting the horizon, harvesting a new crop: the wind. Iowa currently boasts over 400 utility-scale wind turbines.
In 1993, Waverly became the first community west of the Mississippi to add wind to its energy portfolio. Today, its three turbines serve the yearly electrical needs of 761 homes and supply 5 percent of the annual energy provided by the Waverly Light and Power utility company.
The same year, the Spirit Lake School District installed its first wind turbine, and then a second, much larger turbine in 2001. Spirit Lake has the distinction of being the first school system in the nation to provide 100 percent of its energy from wind.
Adapted from story written by Karol Crosbie
Photo by Jerry DeWitt
