State of Wind

by Adam Gellert

More and more people are becoming aware of the threat of climate change, and are doing more to combat it. Part of this fight is finding alternative sources of energy to lessen carbon output by decreasing reliance on fossil fuel. In addition to solar energy, another growing renewable energy source is wind energy.

Wind energy is quite prevalent throughout the Midwest, especially in Iowa. According to the American Wind Energy Association, Iowa alone produces over 37 percent of all wind energy in the United States. It was also the first state to produce over 30 percent of its electricity from wind.

While wind energy won’t solve the problem of climate change by itself over night, it is a step in the right direction, according to Iowa Lakes Community College Wind Program Coordinator Mike Gengler.

“Even if we exclude all of the environmental issues, wind energy still has the added benefit of reducing our reliance on nonrenewable energy sources,” Gengler said. “There will be a day in the future when those resources run out, and as a country we need to prepare for that. The use of renewable sources like wind and solar are part of the solution and more importantly their use will give us more time to prepare.”

Iowa Lakes Director of Sustainable Energy Resources and Technology Dan Lutat believes in wind energy as an alternative source to the often riskier non-renewable sources the country currently relies on.

“When you compare the risks, drawbacks and dangers to fossil fuel dependency, it is clear that: messing with geology of the earth (fracking) is not ideal,” Lutat said. “Depleting fossil resources is not smart, particularly with alternatives that can preserve them in the event we need them again someday. Wind is a global energy resource, so global solutions that include wind reduce the likelihood of countries doing battle for scarce resources. While there are hazards (with wind energy) present, training and education, coupled with a strong safety focus, help reduce the risks of exposing workers to those hazards.”

Part of the appeal of wind energy is the fact that it’s so economical according to Lutat.

“Wind energy mitigates millions of gallons of water use every day,” Lutat said. “Wind has no emissions, and turbines pay themselves off in a very short time and produce energy for decades. Towers are repowered with new technology to make them sustainable for generations. In short, wind represents the best economic and environmental business case, so it’s no surprise that it gets a lot of attention from different points of view.”

One of these different points of view seemed to have been a negative one. In his speech at the National Republican Congressional Committee, President Trump decried wind energy after claiming that America was the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world. The president said that wind turbines tanked property value, by as much as 75 percent. He also claimed that noise from windmills caused cancer, and that they were killing birds en masse.

In Lutat’s and Gengler’s experiences, that statement wasn’t entirely accurate.

“I’m not an expert in assessing property value, wildlife mortality rates, or cancer research,” Gengler said. “I have been associated with the wind energy industry for ten years and have seen no evidence to support such extreme claims.”

Lutat doesn’t forsee any anti-wind turbine regulations resulting from these statements either.

“As to the bird killing, Fluffy the household cat kills millions of birds a year, with turbines collectively accounting for a small fraction of a percentage point of all bird fatalities,” Lutat said. “Do you hear any outcry about the domestic cat population or calls to regulate a staple American family pet? Of course not. What about transportation, or hunting? Such claims are a myth to promote theatrics. Politicians say and do many things that may seem illogical, whether they’re blue-stripe, white-stripe or red-stripe politicians. They say them to preserve their positions in office.”

While the president’s comments may seem concerning for the wind energy industry, there is a good chance that the president was just saying what his base wanted to hear. Gengler says that “actions speak louder than words”, and believes people will wait to see if the president takes any action before they begin to worry.

Lutat sees the president’s stance with more nuance, and remains confident that there won’t be a negative impact as a result.

“While many view the president as anti-renewable, all you need to do is look beyond the media circus to see that’s not true,” Lutat said. “Fossil fuel companies like Shell, BP and others, have invested in renewables, and will continue to invest in what will keep them in business. Why? Because they are energy companies, this is not about political persuasion. It is about the energy companies who do it all in energy, from nuclear power to wind power.”

Another reason the president’s statements may not be a cause for concern is part of the platform he’s run on since he began campaigning for office: job creation. According to Lutat, there are currently over 114,000 US jobs supporting wind energy, which is more than coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy combined. This number is projected to grow quite a bit, with a goal of 230,000 by 2030, and as much as 500,000 by 2050.

The fact that this industry has created such good job opportunities for America has Lutat convinced that the president’s comments were nothing more than theatrics for his supporters.

“Anyone who believes the President doesn’t count these recession-proof jobs as feathers in his cap are not looking beyond the theater of politics at the reality that renewables do work. Trump is a shrewd business man. He loves job creation just as much as any other politician does.”

The kind of jobs wind energy creates is important, as they are long lasting, and are recession proof according to Lutat. Another important aspect of these jobs is the benefit to rural communities. With turbines primarily being built in rural areas, this draws families and tax revenue for improvement to these communities.

“It brings rural communities tax revenues that outstrip any other tax revenue source in those counties by a wide margin,” Lutat said. “Those tax revenues improve the very things people look for in communities they consider as homes: medical services, infrastructure and schools.”

With the growth of the industry, education programs are expanding as well. The wind energy program at Iowa Lakes Community College began in 2004 with a handful of students and one instructor. Since then the program has grown to occupy two buildings and now has six staff members teaching across six different career fields. The program’s goal isn’t necessarily just a first job in the industry, but to give students the tools to progress further in their career according to Gengler.

“Our goal is not to get you your first job in wind. We strive to teach you what you need to understand to progress into the better jobs as they become available to you in the future,” Gengler said.

The future is looking quite robust for wind energy. Wind tech jobs are one the fastest growing jobs in the US, and growth is still projected in the future. While there is no overnight “silver bullet” solution to energy concerns currently existing, wind energy is a stepping stone in the right direction. According to Lutat, it is the bridge needed to get to the next best idea in utility scale power, which is still a ways away (about a couple centuries).

With America possessing a nicely layered, survivable, resource-rich energy infrastructure, every energy source must do its part to help combat climate change. Energy is a North American concern, and wind energy is a solution, not just at a local level, but a continental one.