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
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- Capital invested in wind, solar, and energy storage projects in Iowa: $23 billion.
- Annually drought-proof lease payments total to farmers, ranchers, and other private landowners from clean power projects: $68.2 million.
- Metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions avoided due to wind, solar, and energy storage projects in Iowa: 33,687,000 which is equivalent to taking 7,320,000 cars off the road.
- The total amount of water consumption wind, solar, and energy storage plants avoided: 11 billion gallons.
Solar Specifics
- Total solar installed: 446.6 MW
- National ranking: 31st
- Solar jobs: 773
- Growth projection over the next 5 years: 1,150 MW
- Homes powered by solar installation: 61,863
- Iowa’s solar industry has invested $616 million, up from $591.7 million in 2021