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Skyscrapers in Fields: Wind Energy Continues to Expand in Iowa

This program originally aired 01/07/19

Ben Kieffer
/
IPR
Producer Lindsey Moon climbs up the inside of Tower 93.

If you’ve driven along I-80 between Iowa City and Des Moines in the last year, you’ve noticed the dozens of wind turbines being built along the interstate. Those are part of a $3.6 billion MidAmerican wind energy expansion project. The Iowa Utilities board approved another $922 million wind energy project, Wind XII, late last year; and with its approval, MidAmerican is positioned to provide its customers with 100 percent of their energy from renewable sources in the next few years.

During this hour of River to River, host Ben Kieffer and producer Lindsey Moon climb one of these newly built towers at the North English Wind Farm near Montezuma to learn about how they work, what's inside, and how they are built. 

Bill Nosbisch, manager of wind generation engineer and asset management for MidAmerican, led the climb with the help of Kyle Scott, a wind generation supervisor. Geoff Greenwood, media relations manager, also joins the climb, and we get an interview on the ground from Adam Jablonski, director of renewable energy development for Mid-American Energy. 

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Lindsey Moon is IPR's Senior Digital Producer
Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River