Sunset at the Wind Energy Farm near Pomeroy
 
MidAmerican began building wind turbines in 2004 and has made the investment without raising customers’ electric rates. The price of electricity per kilowatt-hour, the electric rate, for MidAmerican customers is lower today than it was in 1995, and the company has committed to not seek an electric rate increase to become effective until 2014, which is nearly 20 years without a rate increase. Also, the company does not have any electric rate increases planned for its customers in Illinois or South Dakota.

MidAmerican Energy Company is No. 1 in the nation in ownership of wind-powered electric generation among rate-regulated utilities and has more than 1,200 megawatts of wind generating facilities in operation, under construction and under contract in Iowa.

When the wind expansion is complete, approximately 18 percent of MidAmerican's existing electric generation capability will come from renewable resources.

MidAmerican's parent, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, already is a world leader in renewable energy, with approximately 24 percent of its generating capacity coming from renewable or noncarbon fuel sources. The company's worldwide renewable power sources are wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and biomass.
Information gathered from the MidAmerican web site:
http://www.midamericanenergy.com/wind/html/default.asp
 
View more information about the Pomeory Wind Farm
by a research project completed by students of the College of Leonard.

Pomeroy Wind Farm pdf file

Pomeroy Wind Farm

* Construction of all 132 GE Wind Energy 1.5 –megawatt wind turbines in 2007; an additional 39, 2008
* The distance from ground to hub is 213 feet, which, if placed next to the Statue of Liberty, would be slightly higher than the raised torch on the statue.
* The length each rotor blade is 113 feet. When raised to its highest position, the tip of the blade would rise higher than the dome on the Iowa State Capitol.
* The rotor assembly weighs 48,000 pounds.
* The turbine nacelle weighs 115,000 pounds.
* Supporting each tower is a concrete foundation, which are 42 feet wide and eight feet deep.
* Each foundation contains 167 cubic yards of concrete, or equal to the contents of more than 25 concrete-mixing trucks. Nearly 18,000 cubic yards of concrete were needed to complete the 107 wind turbine foundations.
* Each foundation has 30,000 pounds of reinforcing steel. More than 3.2 million pounds of reinforcing steel was needed to complete the 107 wind turbine foundations.
* More than 70 miles of three-phase underground electric line have been buried.
* There have been more than 225 contractors on site in November and December of 2006.
* Contractors have worked approximately 158,000 hours with one Occupational Safety and Health Administration recordable accident.
  Facts about the Turbine
* Rotor Assembly 48,000 lbs.
* Turbine Nacella 115,000 lbs.
* Rotor assembly for Pomeroy – 126 feet per blade
* 265’ from base to the turbine Nacella
* Base 42’ x 8’
* 254 cubic yards concrete
* 50’ base diameter
* 58,000 lbs. of rebar
* 30,000 lbs. of reinforcing steel
* 167 cubic yards of concrete