Utility-scale Wind and Solar Development in Iowa: Trends, Prospects, and the Land Factor

Abstract

In 2020, Iowa ranked first in the United States for percentage of state electricity produced by wind energy, which supplied 57% of the state’s net electricity generation (IUB 2022). Conversely, in 2020, solar energy had a limited role in Iowa’s electricity generation, supplying less than 0.04% of the state’s net electricity generation (IUB 2022), which ranked 43rd in the United States.

In this article, we investigate the stark development and generation disparities between wind and solar energy in Iowa. We focus on utility-scale power plants only, meaning that compiled data applies to power plants that have a relatively large nameplate capacity (one megawatt (MW) is often used as a cut-off value).