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Environment Iowa Highlights the Benefits of Wind Energy
Green Technology Featured Articles
November 25, 2013

Environment Iowa Highlights the Benefits of Wind Energy

By Michael Guta
TMCnet Contributing Writer

Climate change affects the air quality we all breathe through the alteration of photochemical reaction rates, biogenic emissions, deposition, and atmospheric circulation. Whether you choose to believe in global warming or not, this has a detrimental or more precisely deadly effect on human beings. There is evidence gathered by many large cohort studies of chronic effect on mortality for particulate matter in the air we all breathe.


According the World Health Organization (WHO), urban outdoor air pollution causes an estimated 1.3 million deaths around the world annually. Reducing the amount of particulate matter can reduce and eliminate the air quality related deaths around the world. One of the biggest sources of air pollution is power plants that use fossil fuels such as coal. According to a report by Wind Energy for a Cleaner America, which was released by Environment Iowa, the benefit of using wind energy to generate electricity has a very positive environmental impact.

The report highlights many of the benefits of wind energy in the communities where this technology is used and why the federal incentives in place to encourage more installations should not be allowed to expire at the end of the year. Incentives have been responsible for the installation of these and other types of green energy producing technology around the world. Many countries in Europe and other developing countries around the world understand the benefits of using green energy technology and are encouraging more installation with more incentives instead of eliminating them.

In addition, the report states that currently wind energy is responsible for producing 24.5 percent of Iowa's electricity, and that amounts to taking 1.7 million cars off the road while removing 7,928 tons of smog-causing nitrogen oxides and 9,793 tons of sulfur dioxide, which cause acid rain and soot.

"Wind energy is improving our quality of life in Iowa. We cannot let polluters and their allies stand in the way of additional benefits of wind. Senators Harkin and Grassley need to continue to do whatever it takes to extend federal wind incentives before the end of the year," said Michelle Hesterberg, Environment Iowa.

The tax credit from the federal renewable energy production provides an income tax credit of 2.3 cents per kilowatt-hour for utility-scale wind energy producers. The investment tax credit covers up to 30 percent of the capital cost of new renewable energy investments. This type incentives encourage innovation in green technology until they become financially feasible so private investors can continue once it has been proven to make money. If the incentives are eliminated, it practically ends the progress that has been made so far, and stops any future wind or other green energy producing technology from being developed.

Wind Energy for a Cleaner America says wind energy can, "Save enough water to supply the annual domestic water needs of more than a million people. Power plants use water for cooling, reducing the amount of water available for irrigation, wildlife, recreation or domestic use. More water is withdrawn from U.S. lakes, rivers, streams and aquifers for the purpose of cooling power plants than for any other purpose."




Edited by Stefania Viscusi


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