.PNG)
Wind energy employs about 6,000 in Iowa
15 Apr 2015
Energy, Workforce
Iowa's wind energy industry employed about 6,000 people last year, about 2,000 more than in 2013, a report Wednesday showed.
Iowa's wind energy employment was second only to Texas, which put 17,000 people to work, the American Wind Energy Association reported. Altogether, about 73,000 Americans were employed in the wind industry last year, adding about 23,000 jobs since 2013.
Iowa has seen the development of some large wind energy manufacturing facilities in recent years, including Siemens in Fort Madison, and Trinity Structural Towers and TPI Composites, both in Newton.
Iowa gets 28.5 percent of its energy from wind, the highest level in the nation, the group said.
The state added 511 megawatts of wind energy capacity in 2014, nearly 11 percent of the total 4,854 megawatts added nationally, the association said. Texas captured the 37 percent of the growth with 1,811 megawatts added last year.
Iowa trailed Texas and Oklahoma with added wind power capacity last year. (full article...)
BY DONNELLE ELLER, Des Moines Register, April 15, 2015. DELLER@DMREG.COM
More Topics
