Iowa Leading the Way

In 1983, Iowa became the first state in the nation to adopt a renewable portfolio standard (RPS). This is a great display of Iowa’s early commitment to being a national leader on the transition to renewable energy. Now the state has far exceeded the RPS goals when it comes to the capacity from eligible renewable resources. At the start of 2021, Iowa had nearly 11,500 megawatts of generating capacity fueled by renewable sources at utility-scale (1 megawatt or larger) power facilities.

Overall Renewable Energy

At the start of 2024, Iowa had nearly 13,300 megawatts of generating capacity fueled by renewable sources at utility-scale power facilities.

      • Capital invested in wind, solar, and energy storage projects in Iowa: $29 billion.
      • Annually drought-proof lease payments total to farmers, ranchers, and other private landowners from clean power projects: $74.3 million.
      • Metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions avoided due to wind, solar, and energy storage projects in Iowa: 36,127,000 which is equivalent to taking 7,850,000 cars off the road.
      • The total amount of water consumption wind, solar, and energy storage plants avoided: 10 billion gallons.

Solar Specifics

      • Total solar installed: 1144 MW
      • National ranking: 19th in 2024
      • Solar jobs: 898
      • Growth projection over the next 5 years: 1,076 MW
      • Homes powered by solar installation: 152,646
      • Iowa’s solar industry has invested $1.7 billion, up from $591.7 million in 2021

Additional facts & statistics:

  1. 65.3% of electricity produced in Iowa came from wind, solar, and energy storage power plants – first in the country. Source (2024)
  2. Clean energy projects in Iowa contribute over $61 million annually through state, local, and property taxes. Source (2024)
  3. Clean energy projects have created over 4500 jobs in Iowa. Source (2024)
    o Alternatively: clean energy jobs employ over 32,000 Iowans (2023)
  4. Iowa has over 6400 wind turbines that produce more than 5.4 billion kWh monthly. Source (2025)
  5. Iowa leads the nation in biodiesel production, with a production capacity of 473 million gallons per year. Source (2024)
  6. Iowa has four hydroelectric plants that produce 95,000 MWh of electricity. Source