How Clean Energy Can Reclaim Iowa’s Land and Health
In recent weeks, headlines have reminded us that Iowa’s fertile farmland—once the pride of the Midwest—is also home to a growing health crisis. Industrial-scale agriculture has left our rivers choked with nitrates and bacteria, threatening the water our families drink. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Instead of letting polluted fields define our future, we can reimagine Iowa’s landscape as a national leader in renewable energy—a cleaner, more prosperous path forward.
Iowa already generates more than 62% of its electricity from wind turbines, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That’s the highest share of any state in the country. These spinning towers not only deliver affordable power but also pay landowners steady lease income—often $20,000 or more per turbine per year, depending on the project and location. In counties across North Central Iowa, including Cerro Gordo, these payments help family farms stay afloat, even as commodity markets fluctuate.
Solar energy, too, is making inroads. While large solar farms are newer to our region, community-scale and co-op installations are proving their worth. The Iowa Solar Energy Trade Association reports that over 900 Iowans now work in the solar industry, and growth is accelerating as technology improves and costs decline. Even modest arrays can turn underused parcels—like land too polluted for crops—into productive, revenue-generating sites.
Beyond wind and solar, Iowa is exploring innovative approaches like agrivoltaics, where crops grow beneath raised solar panels, combining clean energy and agriculture on the same footprint. Bioenergy crops and battery storage add resilience to our grid, reducing the need for coal and fossil gas that pollute our air.
This transformation isn’t just good for the environment—it’s good for our health and economy. Studies by the Iowa Environmental Council show that reducing nitrate runoff and fossil fuel emissions can lower rates of cancer, respiratory illness, and neurological disorders, all of which have risen in agricultural regions. Meanwhile, clean energy brings stable, local jobs and tax revenues that stay in our communities.
Imagine a future where Cerro Gordo County is known not for contaminated rivers but for leading the clean energy revolution. Where young people stay to build careers in wind and solar. Where farms diversify income by hosting turbines and panels alongside crops.
Change won’t happen overnight. But every project—whether a single rooftop array or a 100-megawatt wind farm—moves us closer to that vision. We have the tools, resources, and innovation to clean up our land and create new prosperity.
Iowa’s legacy has always been tied to the land. It’s time to honor that legacy by protecting our soil, our water, and our children’s health. Let’s seize this moment to turn pollution into progress and build a future powered by the wind and sun.
Sources:
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U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Iowa State Profile, 2023
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Iowa Solar Energy Trade Association, 2024 Industry Report
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Iowa Environmental Council, Nitrate Contamination Health Impacts, 2022
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American Clean Power Association, Wind Energy Fact Sheet