Wind power. Is it the next major power source for Iowa?

“We have an enormous amount of wind here,” said Karl Seifert, a geology professor. “It’s clean and you can do it locally.”

Seifert said wind power is rarely used in Iowa today, but it most likely will be the Midwest’s main energy source in the future.

He said that the Great Plains could supply enough energy to run the entire U.S.

Iowa, Siefert said, has three locations where wind power is produced. Two of the locations are in Nevada and the other is located in a northwestern Iowa field.

Seifert said that getting a windpower operation started tends to be expensive, but once the wind is commonly used, the cost diminishes.

“After the locations are built, it is just free energy,” Seifert said.

Seifert said that locations will most likely be built locally, and windmills may even be placed at personal homes.

Seifert said the electrical and utility companies are blocking the growth of this free energy source. He said the issue has gone back and forth with the legislature.

“It’s been a constant fight with the electrical and utility companies,” Seifert said. “Money still talks louder than sense in politics.”

The utility companies, Seifert said, realize the wind power alternative could eventually shut down their companies. He said that they are doing all they can to slow the transitional process down.

Seifert said it is time for the U.S. to seriously consider other sources of energy due to the deterioration of the fossil fuel supplies.

“Coal is the big problem,” Seifert said. “The carbon dioxide that is being put into the air is the main cause of global warming.”

He said that wind power does not put any pollutants into the air.

Seifert said although wind energy is not frequently used in the midwest, it is used across the globe. Presently the alternative energy source is used widely in California, Denmark, and Germany.

There are only a few downsides with the use of wind power, said Seifert said.

Transmission can be a problem. Seifert said energy can be lost if transported over a large area. He said that the loss is caused by heat and friction.

Seifert said a backup power supply may be needed for the rare occasions when the wind level is low across the Great Plains.

He said that wind power is an answer to the fossil fuel supply problem. “It’s the future, and we’ll have to fight the utility companies to get it,” Seifert said. “Once we win, the alternative source will greatly benefit our country.”