As Iowa residents kick-off the presidential nomination process, some are asking the candidates “do you support wind power?”
Iowa resident Patricia Scalabrini asked Donald Trump just that (links to AWEA’s new blog post). Patricia’s husband works at TPI Composites, a wind turbine manufacturer in Newton, Iowa, that employs about 800 people in the area. Overall, wind supports up to 7,000 jobs in the state, and there are 12 factories like TPI’s in Iowa that build wind-related parts and materials. That’s at least 7,000 Iowans who want to be clear if the candidates support wind power before casting ballots this evening.
Just last week, Iowa moved up to second in the nation for total installed wind power capacity. With over 6,000 megawatts (MW) of capacity, Iowa wind supplies over 28 percent of all in-state electricity production, attracting $10 billion in total capital investment, and generating $17 million in annual land lease payments.
Want to learn more, or need attribution? Refer to the American Wind Energy Association blog.
