Iowa Wind Farms Save Money, Energy
by Steve Nicoles, KCRG-TV9 News
(Cedar Rapids)
— Iowa is breezing by other states when it comes to generating power
with wind. According to the American Wind Energy Association the state
ranks third in the nation. Last year Iowa produced 632 megawatts of
wind energy. Another kilowatt of wind energy was added Saturday as one
man tries to save the earth.
To
harness the power of wind for his Tipton farmstead, Dean Eilers had to
enlist family and friends. It will take about 12 hours for the four men
to build the wind turbine. And in the end it will all be worth it.
Eilers said, “This is renewable. It pays for itself. It's clean air.”
The wind
turbine is a natural fit. The American Wind Energy Association ranks
Iowa in the top 10 for wind potential. And state lawmakers are offering
financial aid.
Eilers' nephew Curtis Eilers said, “It's got the best wind resources and the best incentives from the state level.”
Curtis
is sold on wind energy. He is helping his uncle get on board to cut his
energy costs. Eilers said, “Fall or spring, you would probably get one
third or one half of it off your payment.”
The one
kilowatt turbine will stand 64 feet tall. It is anchored by several
steel wires. But to lift this new technology off the ground, you still
need the help of old-fashioned farm power. But even Eilers' old tractor
is burning bio-diesel fuel. Another example of how he is working to
save the environment and his pocketbook.
Eilers says his turbine should last 30 years. It will be about 10 years before the turbine has paid for itself.
(Source)
Iowa House OKs Wind Energy Tax Creditby Rod Boshart – The Gazette
DES MOINES, IA
– The Iowa House [Monday] approved tax-credit incentives for small
producers of wind energy in rural Iowa and sent them to Gov. Tom
Vilsack for his expected signature.
Senate
File 390, which cleared the House 79-16, establishes a tax credit for
producers or purchasers of renewable energy by providing 1.5 cents per
kilowatt hour, $4.50 per billion Btus or $1.44 per 1,000 cubic feet of
hydrogen fuel. The energy must be produced for the power grid and the
credit cannot be claimed for electricity produced and used solely by
the producer.
The new
tax credit could apply to wind turbines, anaerobic digester systems,
bio-gas recovery, bio-mass conversion or solar energy. Production must
be located in Iowa and at least 51 percent of qualifying renewable
facilities must be Iowa-owned.
Each
renewable energy project would be allowed to produce up to 2.5
megawatts of electricity to receive the credit. Eligible projects can
start no earlier than July 1 and no later than Jan. 1, 2011.
Projects
approved by the Iowa Utilities Board cannot exceed 100 megawatts
statewide to qualify for the tax credit and the maximum amount of wind
energy covered by the credit cannot exceed 90 megawatts with the
remainder coming from any method other than wind.
A
purchaser of renewable fuel may receive a tax credit certificate for 10
years after the date of purchase but tax credit certificates shall not
be issued after Dec. 31, 2020.
(Source)
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