The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced that two of Alliant Energy‘s wind farms — Upland Prairie in Everly and English Farms in Montezuma, Iowa — are the recent recipients of the Envision Platinum award for sustainable infrastructure.
To earn Envision Platinum, a project must demonstrate it delivers a heightened range of environmental, social, and economic benefits to the host and affected communities.
Alliant Energy, a Midwest energy company engaged in electric generation and the distribution of electricity, expects to increase its renewable energy capacity from 20% in 2018 to 33% by 2024. Completion of the Upland Prairie and English Farms Wind Farms, with an expected combined energy capacity of 470 MW, is a significant contributor to meeting this goal.
The electricity generated by these two wind farms will be enough to power approximately 168,000 Iowa homes per year.
The project team selected the wind turbines based on several key factors, including:
- High-performance
- Durability
- Noise reduction
“These two projects are part of a larger expansion of wind energy for our customers. We’re using advanced wind turbine technology to provide emission-free and cost-effective energy for our customers for decades,” said Terry Kouba, President of Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company.
The new turbines selected by Alliant Energy can withstand higher wind speeds. They also have a lower cut-in wind speed and higher capacity factor compared to previous models. As a result, customers will see benefits from more low-cost energy. With higher-performing turbines, fewer units are needed per project. This minimizes disturbance to ecologically sensitive areas, like wetlands, on the project site.
“We are continuing to transition our generating fleet to cleaner, more cost-effective sources, which will promote a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2050,” added Kouba.
Alliant Energy worked in close collaboration with General Electric Renewable Energy, Black & Veatch and White Construction to deliver these award-winning sustainable projects.
“At a time when many of us are concerned with reducing greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the worst effects of climate change, Alliant Energy is demonstrating notable leadership in this area,” said Melissa Peneycad, ISI’s Managing Director. “The Upland Prairie and English Farms wind farms are part of the company’s larger renewable energy strategy and we hope Alliant’s leadership will encourage other companies to follow suit.”
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