Think Green Live Clean

Photo Credit: Chuck Coker

The search for sustainable energy has inspired several innovations in green technologies that look to become the next major source of our planet’s energy. Among these is wind energy. As I have returned to Iowa for holidays and extended breaks over the last few years, I have seen firsthand a rise in wind technology. The flat farm fields that decorate the state’s landscape have increasingly been populated with the large turbines that are necessary for producing electric energy from the wind. According the Iowa Energy Center, Iowa is the second largest producer of wind energy after Texas. The state’s topography and existing electric transmission lines make the environment conducive to wind energy.

Wind energy is a renewable source of electric energy produced through the use of wind turbines that are generally located on wind farms. Wind farms are often located in farm fields, and sometimes in bodies of water such as oceans and lakes. Furthermore, the land surrounding the wind turbines can still be used for farming or other agricultural needs.

As a native of the Midwestern state, I am happy to see Iowa become one of the frontrunners in the pursuit of sustainable energy. Indeed a new kind of crop has begun to blossom in the Midwest. It is my hope that the trend continues and that wind energy continues to make strides in providing sustainable energy for our country.