By the end of this year, your computer may be powered by a gust of wind, thanks to a new wind energy farm in Story County.

“We use the term ‘farm,’ but that doesn’t really describe it,” said Jane Halliburton, member of the Story County Board of Supervisors.

The board’s plans call for a total of 100 turbines to be erected over 22 square miles in the northeastern quarter of the county by the end of this year.

“They will be in the vicinity of the U.S. Highway 65 corridor, and most will be in the grounds of the Colo-Nesco school district,” Halliburton said.

Each turbine will be capable of providing 1.5 megawatts of electricity, so the farm will be able to generate a total of 150 megawatts. In comparison, the Ames power plant is currently able to generate between 300 and 750 megawatts for the city.

The county worked with an out-of-state company, Florida Power and Light, to develop the plans. FPL will work with a local construction company to build the turbines.

“Currently, our company is the largest owner and operator of wind power in the country, and second largest in the world,” said Steve Stengel, spokesman for FPL.

Stengel said there are a few important factors in deciding where to build a farm like this.

“Obviously, you need a good amount of wind, and also you need access and availability on a high-voltage transmission system,” he said. “You need to be able to transmit power and have someone to buy it.”

The project is slated to cost $270 million, which is a little higher than that of an average coal plant. However, Stengel said wind power, by its nature, costs more up front but makes up for it in the long run.

“With coal or natural gas, the capital costs are lower, but fuel costs are variable and volatile,” he said. “But with wind, the capital costs are higher, but there’s no fuel costs at all.”

While wind is free, it can also be fickle – the power output of a wind farm is wholly dependent on what the wind is doing.

“Wind is an intermittent resource. Farms generate electricity when the wind is blowing,” Stengel said. “Coal is a base load unit. In theory, as long as you have fuel, that plant will continue to generate electricity forever.”

The only limiting factor on how much power the farm can produce is the force of wind that passes through the area in which it is located.

“The wind needs to be moving at about 8 or 9 miles per hour. Anything below that, and you won’t really get much power,” Stengel said.

At this point, it is worth noting that there’s no way to really predict who gets the power from these turbines.

“When you put electrons on a grid, they follow the path of least resistance. You can’t pinpoint where they’ll go,” Stengel said. “I think the most accurate way to characterize this is to say that people throughout the region will benefit.”

Halliburton said she thinks this is the right step to take in helping Iowa remain at the forefront of alternative fuel research and development.

“The city of Nevada has had turbines for years, and some of the county buildings are powered by geothermal energy,” she said. “This fits into the overall sustainability of the state, both economically and financially.”

Stengel is confident about the potential power lying in wind energy, and the encouraging future for its development.

“Right now, wind power accounts for about 1 percent of all energy in the U.S.,” he said. “Our view is that it can be, and should be, a greater part of the power generation of this country.”