Nearly 200 researchers and faculty from across the state say Iowa is at a “fork in the road” when it comes to addressing the rapid increase in electricity demand.
Rather than investing in new gas plants and higher coal usage to scale up generation, the signatories of the 2026 Iowa Climate Statement are advocating for more wind and solar. They say renewable energy is critical for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting Iowans from air pollution and global price fluctuations from fossil fuels.
Jacqueline Dowling, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Iowa, is one of the organizers of the Iowa Climate Educators group, which released its 16th annual climate statement Tuesday.
“Iowa may see over a 30% increase in peak electricity load in the next decade,” Dowling said. “That's huge. It's like adding another major metro area's worth of power demand to the state.”
The electrification of buildings, transportation and industry contributes to new electricity demand. But Dowling and the other scientists who endorsed the statement said most of the increase is driven by the proliferation of data centers. Iowa is among the top five states for the number of data centers per capita, they point out.
“Now is a critical time to think carefully about how we want our energy future to look in Iowa,” said Dave Courard-Hauri, an environmental science and sustainability professor at Drake University.
Iowa has two pathways for expanding generation capacity, Courard-Hauri said.
“Do we want our electric utilities and the corporations building independent data centers to continue the path that Iowa has blazed in renewable energy, or do we go back to fossil plants with climate and health risks as well as price volatility that we've all been suffering from recently?” he said.
Iowa has been a leader in renewable energy, with over 60% of its electricity generation from wind and solar. The Iowa Climate Statement states that this has insulated Iowans from global fossil-fuel price shocks and kept electricity costs nearly 30% below the national average.
But a report from the Iowa Environmental Council last week showed an uptick in the use of fossil fuels for electric generation in the state. The amount of power coming from coal increased about 50% from 2024 to 2025.
Burning fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide, which traps heat in the atmosphere and is the primary driver of climate change.
“Every single one of the last 10 years has been hotter than any other year on record before this period,” Courard-Hauri said. “2026 is expected to be even hotter, with the likelihood that a super El Niño currently forming will drive global temperatures even higher in the years to come.”
The 2026 meteorological summer, which runs from June through August, was the warmest on record in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While nearly 60% of the lower 48 states were in drought on Sept. 1, portions of the Midwest recorded “much-above-average” precipitation totals.
“Exceedingly wet conditions were reported across broad swaths of Iowa with numerous stations observing 400-600% of normal rainfall through the reporting period," according to the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report for Sept. 7-13.
Courard-Hauri said Iowa experiences the effects of climate change with more intense flooding, droughts and storms.
“The more greenhouse gas we emit over the next 30 years, the greater the impacts we will see,” Courard-Hauri.
Emma Stapleton Thornell, an expert on the respiratory effects of air pollution and former University of Iowa research assistant professor, said burning fossil fuels also increases air pollution, which affects public health. Particulates from coal are particularly harmful to respiratory health, she said.
The 2026 Iowa Climate Statement was endorsed by 186 researchers and educators in climate and climate-impacted fields from 29 colleges and universities located in every part of Iowa.
