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Iowa gets 32 percent of electricity from wind, leads nation

Ag/Outdoor, News

February 29th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has become the first state in the nation to derive more than 30 percent of its electricity from wind energy. The American Wind Energy Association says more than 31 percent of the state’s electricity came from wind turbines last year. South Dakota was at 25.5 percent and Kansas at 23.9 percent.

Gov. Terry Branstad says Iowa has the potential to jump above 40 percent in the next five years. In a report released Monday the association said wind produced more than 190 million megawatt-hours of power in the U.S. last year, enough electricity for about 17.5 million typical homes. The goal is for the U.S. to derive 20 percent of its electricity by 2030. The nation was at 4.7 percent from wind last year.